


The Earpiest Earp of Them All

by monkey_mo



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Kidnapping, Poison, Torture, nicole's a worried puppy who's ready to fight someone, no death i promise, waverly kidnapped, waverly's not human??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-01-22 15:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12484916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkey_mo/pseuds/monkey_mo
Summary: When Waverly is kidnapped by a mysterious figure in black, the team will do everything they can to get her back.





	1. Chapter 1

"Waves, you don't need to pick up food, I can make us something!" Nicole said into the phone as she flipped through paperwork with one hand. Nicole had come home early from the office today, her and Waverly were planning on having a relaxing night, involving binge watching The Great British Bake Off and lots of food and ice cream, but that didn't stop her from working. 

 _"Don't be silly, I'm getting us take out from that Chinese place you like."_ Waverly said indignantly on the other end of phone.

"Okay, just text me when you're on your way home." Nicole smiled at the thought of finally having a night where they didn't have to worry about revenants or goo demons or any life threatening situations. 

"Okay, promise." 

"Love you." 

"Love you too."  _Click._ The line went dead. 

Nicole sighed contentedly and leaned back into her chair, turning her attention to the mounds of paperwork awaiting her. She worked, and waited for Waverly's text, worked and waited. But it didn't come. After forty five minutes of waiting, Nicole started to get seriously worried. She tapped her password into her phone and clicked the phone icon and Waverly's name. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings.  _Beep._ _"Hello, you've reached Waverly Earp, please leave message and I'll get back to you!"_ Waverly's cheery voice rang out.

"Hey Waves, it's me. I'm just checking in, making sure you're okay. I'm sure you just forgot to text me. Let me know when you're on your way home. Love you." Nicole hung up the phone, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. She tapped her fingers on her desk, unsure what to do. She tries to make herself feel better, make herself feel like she's over reacting and that Waverly just has her phone on silent. But 10 more minutes pass. And 10 more. And soon it's 45 minutes since Nicole left a voicemail, and Waverly isn't home, and she hasn't texted, or called, and Nicole felt like throwing up.  She calls again. "Waverly, please call me back, I'm starting to get worried. Please baby, just call me back. I'm about call Wynonna, and you know that she's going to panic and start shooting people, please call me back. Love you." She called four more times. Nothing. 

Her seventh call was to a different Earp. 

_"Hey Haught stuff. At the bar, wanna join?"_

"Wynonna, it's Waverly." 

There was a moment of silence on the other end.  _"If you hurt my sister, I will fuck you up."_

"No, no, you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. It's just.. I've called her six times and she hasn't responded, and she said she was going to text me on the way home and she hasn't, and she won't answer me and I don't know what to -" 

 _"Nicole."_ Wynonna's voice was terrifyingly calm and tense. 

"Yeah?" 

 _"Take a breath, maybe a shot, and then meet me at the station in ten minutes."_ _Click._ The line went dead.

And so Nicole did. She took a breath. She took a shot of whiskey. She got in her car. She drove to the station, breaking nearly a dozen traffic laws on her way.  

Her footsteps echoed through the hallway of the police station, almost matching the volume of her heart, which was close to pounding its way out of it's heart. "Wynonna." the elder Earp sister was pacing back and forth, Peacemaker swinging in hand, look of fury and intensity across her face. Dolls sat at his desk, typing furiously, his face void of emotion. Doc sat with his feet up on a table, loading bullets into his gun. Jeremy sat at a desk, fiddling with the drawstrings on his hoodie, and staring at his computer screen. Everyone looked up as Nicole entered the office. 

"Nicole." Dolls stood, "What happened? Start from the beginning." 

"Um, Waverly and I were on the phone and she was going to pick up Chinese food for us. I told her to text me on her way home, and she said she would and then we hung up and she never texted, and I called her like six times and she won't answer and its been a few hours, and I-" 

"Haught. Slow down." Dolls folded his arms. "You're sure she was going to text you?" 

"Yes, she promised." 

"Lets split up. Wynonna, go with Doc, go to the Chinese restaurant. Nicole and I will circle the town. If you don't find anything at the restaurant, start asking around. See if anyone's seen her." Dolls said. Wynonna was out the door before Dolls finished talking. Doc grabbed his coat and followed suit. Nicole ran a shaking hand through her red hair and pulled her gun out from her pocket and shoved her cowboy hat onto her head. "Ready?" Dolls asked. 

"Um, hey, you guys, what about me?" Jeremy piped up from his spot at his desk. 

"Right, Jeremy, search local security cameras for footage with Waverly in it." 

"Got it, boss." Jeremy gave an awkward half wave/salute and started typing. 

"Agent Haught?" Dolls turned to Nicole. "We're going to find her." 

Nicole took a deep breath and nodded, her mouth settling into a concentrated frown. "Damn right we are." 

☆☆☆☆☆

"Excuse me sir, I would like to speak with you about a missing person." Nicole flashed her police badge at the man. "Waverly Earp - " 

"Ah, Waverly Earp, yes, I know her. Always been a sweet girl." 

"Yes, I know. Anyways, she's missing and I was hoping you had seen her." 

"I'm sorry Officer, but I haven't seen her." 

"Well, please contact the police station if you do. Thank you." Nicole turned to leave. 

"Officer." Nicole stopped. "I hope you find her." 

Nicole nodded, smiling a little, though the smile never reached her eyes. She walked down the street, furiously wiping at her eyes, holding back tears. Waverly, please be okay, Waverly, please come home, Waverly, please, please Waverly. Her thoughts spiraled in her mind, tumbling over each other, scratching at the sides of her brain. "Haught." Dolls called to her as they met in front of the cop car. "Any luck?" 

"No. You?" 

"No." Dolls sighed, rubbing his forehead. He checked his watch. "It's getting late. Maybe we-"  


_Ring. Ring. Ring._ Nicole's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out - it was Jeremy. "Hey." She said.   


"Nicole! I found something, I think you'll want to see it. Well, not  _want to,_ because it isn't, you know, enjoyable to watch, but it's important, and-"   


"Jeremy." Nicole snapped. "We're on our way." 

"Yeah, okay, got it." Nicole hung up. 

"Jeremy has something?" Dolls asked. 

"Yeah." 

☆☆☆☆☆

"It's really.. It's not good." Jeremy winced in anticipation. 

"Just show us." Wynonna barked, a bottle of whiskey cradled in her arms. 

"Right. Right." and Jeremy pressed play. 

The camera showed Waverly in black and white, stopped on the street. In one hand, she carried a paper bag from the Chinese restaurant, in the other, her phone. She was scrolling through something on her cell, smiling slightly. Suddenly, Waverly's head snapped up as if she had heard something. Her eyes widened in confusion, and she put her phone away. A dark figure appeared in the corner of the frame. The person was tall and wearing a dark hoodie so their face was hidden. Waverly's mouth moved as if she was saying something. The figure reached towards Waverly, who tried to dodge, but was to slow and the figure grabbed her by the neck, slamming her to the concrete. Waverly seemed to scream out in pain, thrashing wildly against the strong hands holding her down. Nicole heard Wynonna suck in her breath in horror, her fists' clenched. The figure threw a punch, but Waverly managed to free herself from their grasp as they wound up, and she rolled out of the way, stumbling to her feet. She clutched at her side, and there was some shockingly dark blood running down the side of her face. The figure came at her again, and Waverly dodged, just barely avoiding the person's fist. Her movements were getting increasingly slow and awkward, and her face was pale. 

Waverly was still fighting back as best she could, but the figure was faster and he grabbed her around the waist, one hand over the mouth. Waverly struggled and kicked, with little result. The figure must've become annoyed by Waverly's stubbornness, because they lifted her off the ground, and in one motion, threw her to the ground where she lay motionless, blood pooling around her. A timid, "Baby girl," escaped from Wynonna's mouth. Nicole felt her stomach turn and twist, her lungs burn with rage. The last few frames showed the figure nearing the camera, and then it went dark. "God dammit!" Nicole yelled, slamming her fists against the table, ignoring the dull pain that followed. 

Everyone was silent for a moment. Jeremy looked like he might barf. "So now what?" he murmured, looking nervously between Nicole and Wynonna, who had started pacing back and forth. 

"Now we search. We go back out there, and we search the town until we find Waverly," Wynonna growled.   


Dolls nodded in approval. "However, we should take it in shifts. We need to be well rested if we're going to find Waverly." 

"Agreed," Doc drawled. "Who will begin?" 

"Me," Wynonna and Nicole said at the same time. 

"Okay then. Wynonna and Nicole, you will take the first shift. Call me in 3 hours and Doc and I will take over," Dolls said. 

Nicole nodded, and Wynonna finished loading her gun. "Ready Earp?" Nicole asked.

"Lets go get our girl back." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Wynonna work together to find their girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit more action going on, and some angst. Hope you like it!

Waverly had been gone for four days. Four days, 2 hours, 37 minutes, and 10, 11, 12, 13 seconds. Four hours of nonstop searching, nonstop fear, nonstop worry. Wynonna and Nicole had hardly stopped patrolling, except for the few hours Doc and Dolls had forced them to rest. They had found almost nothing. All they had found was a some security camera footage of a car with a fake license plate driving away from the place Waverly had been taken from. So far they had been unable to find said car and the police records said that no such license plate existed.

Wynonna and Nicole were walking through town, searching for anything unusual. They walked without speaking, hands on the guns at their sides. Nicole had seen Wynonna angry before. She had seen the drinking, the temper, the sleep deprivation. But she had never seen it like this. And this time, Nicole's own anger matched Wynonna's. The day was cold, their breath creating clouds in the air. They had been walking for two hours and it was getting more frustrating ever minute.

As they rounded the corner, something caught Nicole's eye. "Earp. The car." She breathed. Wynonna's head snapped up. Her eyes landed on the black SUV sitting in the parking lot of the grocery store.

"Haught."

"Yeah?"

"I have an awful idea."

"Perfect."

15 minutes later, Nicole had broken into the car and Wynonna and Nicole were lying in the back of the truck, waiting for the owner of the vehicle to return. The silence between the two of them was tense and anxious. Every little sound made them flinch.

After what seemed like forever, there was the clicking sound of the car unlocking. Nicole felt a slight gasp escape her mouth and Wynonna slapped her hand over Nicole's mouth. Nicole shot Wynonna a glare, and then the door opened. Nicole felt the ice cold fear churning through her stomach, and she could feel Wynonna tense next to her. The person got into the drivers seat, talking on the phone. "Yes, I got the equipment... Have you received the test results yet? ... Well draw more blood! ... What do you mean unresponsive? We need her responsive for the tests we plan on doing tomorrow! .. Well make her responsive! Electrocution, water over the head, a slap to the face, I don't care! ... Okay, good ... I'll be back in a couple minutes. Have her ready."

He stopped talking - the conversation seemed to have ended. Next to her, Wynonna was clenching and unclenching her fists. Nicole's mind was spinning, imagining all the things they could be doing to Waverly. _Test results? What tests could the possibly be doing on Waverly? What do they want with her? She's just a girl.. Is it because she's an Earp? Do they want Wynonna?_ Her thoughts spiraled like this for the rest of the ride, as they were jostled around in the back of the car. Suddenly, the car came to a stop, and the person got out of the car. There were some muffled words from outside the car and then the side door of the car opened. Nicole's eyes widened, and adrenaline pumped through her body as the there was the sound of bags being crinkled and then the car door closed once again.

Wynonna and Nicole lay still for probably an hour, unsure of whether to risk a peek out the window, before Wynonna whispered, "Fuck this." and looked out the window. "There are two guards. It looks like we're in an underground parking lot or something," she murmured. "They're not very big. I bet we could take 'em."

"Are you sure?"

"You look," Wynonna urged. Nicole slid herself up against the back of the car, and looked out the window. Wynonna was right, they appeared to be in a dark parking lot, presumably underground. underground. Two guards stood against a door, large machine guns in their hands. "I don't know Wynonna, they have very large guns."

"We can take them," Wynonna insisted.

Nicole sighed. "Okay." She looked around the car. "What if we climb into the front seat and get out through the passenger and driver doors. Then we can take them by surprise."

Wynonna thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Okay, let's do this."

Nicole took a deep breath and slowly got into a crouching position. She grabbed the top of the seats and slid herself over the top of them, her back brushing against the ceiling as she fell rather clumsily into the second row of seats. Wynonna followed suit, landing half on top of Nicole, half on the ground. One more row. Nicole grabbed the middle counsel of the front seats, sliding over as slowly as possible, trying to stay as silent as possible. She wiggled awkwardly into the drivers seat, lying on her stomach so she wasn't visable through the windows. Wynonna was soon in the passenger seat and gave Nicole a pointed look. Nicole nodded, her stomach tensing. She signaled with her hands, "1... 2... 3..."

And suddenly they were out in the parking lot, the damp air seeping into their skin. The guards looked up, but Nicole and Wynonna had already started shooting. The noise of gunshots surrounded Nicole, and she had trouble knowing where bullets were coming from, so she just kept shooting. Bullets ricocheted around her, but she hadn't been hit yet. She advanced towards the guards, to get a better view. She managed to hit one of the guards in the leg, and they fell to the ground in agony, but not before there was a gunshot, and Nicole felt a sharp stinging in her shoulder. She cried out in pain, grabbing her shoulder, feeling warm liquid trickling through her fingers. "Haught!" Nicole heard Wynonna shout. There was one final gunshot and Wynonna was by her side. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit." Wynonna muttered.

"I'm okay. It's just a graze." Nicole mumbled, looking at her arm.

"Like hell you're okay." Wynonna took off her sweater, took off her t - shirt under it, and put her sweater back on without the t-shirt. She started tearing her t-shirt into strips.

"I-I'm fine Earp, let's go. We have to find Waves," Nicole grimaced.

"We're not going to find Waverly with you bleeding all over everything. And god knows she would murder me if I let you bleed out, so for fucks sake, just let me bandage your arm." Wynonna growled. Nicole sighed, and nodded. Wynonna gave a sharp nod in response and started helping Nicole out of her jacket, so she was only in her short sleeve shirt. Wynonna spent a few minutes tightly bandaging Nicole's arm, before letting out a satisfied grunt. "Okay. Do you think you can stand?"

"Yes. As I said, I am fine." Nicole got to her feet, though her legs were admittedly shaky. Wynonna rolled her eyes at Nicole's stubbornness.

"Okay." Wynonna started walking towards the door that seemed to lead out of the parking lot. She peeked hesitantly around the corner before signaling Nicole to follow her. The pair walked down the hallway, every footstep feeling amazingly loud. Nicole was worried that people might hear the sound of her heart beating. The pair traveled through the mysterious building, coming across various guards that they took care of, earning them many bruises and cuts. They rounded so many corners, passed so many mysterious rooms full of lab equipment, that Nicole started to truly believe that they would never find Waverly.

But then they came to huge metal doors that were locked with about 5 different complicated locks. "This has to be it, right?" Wynonna whispered.

"Yeah. But even if we get through that door, I bet there will be at least 15 guards on the other side, all with fully loaded machine guns. There are just two of us, and I don't know about you, but I'm running out of bullets."

Wynonna groaned, frustrated, "Well then, what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Nicole fell silent, looking around the hallway. Her mind was spinning a million miles an hour. That's when something caught her eye. An air duct. She walked over to it and with one swift kick, she kicked in the panel. She looked at Wynonna pointedly. "Oh for fuck's sake," Wynonna muttered, before getting onto her knees and sliding into the duct. Nicole followed, feeling the cool, smooth metal on her skin. The duct was a tight squeeze, a claustrophobic's nightmare. Every so often, they would pass over a room, and hear snippets of conversation, but still no Waverly. _Waverly._ That's all Nicole could think of, and she could bet Wynonna was feeling the same way. _Waverly. Waverly. Waverly._

"What is it Earp?" Nicole whispered. Wynonna had stopped in front of her. Wynonna held up a finger, gesturing for Nicole to be quiet.

"Listen," Wynonna mouthed. Nicole listened. And there it was. A man was speaking in the room below them. But that wasn't what Wynonna had heard. It was the whimpering. The soft, timid, crying, barely audible over the man's voice. Waverly. The man's voice suddenly become audible - he must've been directly below them.

"Listen sweetheart," He said in a harsh Cockney accent. "You're making this more difficult than it has to be. If you would just hold still, I wouldn't have to keep hurting you. I don't want to harm you Miss Waverly." There was some silence, and Waverly apparently refused the man again, because he said, "Hmm.. I'm sorry I have to do this Miss Waverly. I don't like to unnecessarily harm my subjects." And then, there was some shuffling, silence, and then a bloodcurdling scream.

Wynonna tensed next to her, and Nicole felt bile rise in her throat. _Waverly. Waverly. Waverly. I'm so sorry Waverly. We're coming. We're coming for you. You're going to be okay._ Another scream. This time, Waverly was able to find words. "WYNONNA! NICOLE! 'NONNA!!" she screamed, her voice sounding raw.

Wynonna made a sudden movement next to Nicole, and Nicole grabbed Wynonna's shoulder to stop her from moving any more, but Nicole was having trouble restraining herself. Another scream. "WYNONNA!" This time, Nicole couldn't hold the eldest Earp back, and to be honest, she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Wynonna punched a panel underneath them with all her strength, and suddenly dropped through the floor, into the room below them. Nicole heard gunshots, and next thing she knew, she landed on the ground next to Wynonna, and was shooting at anything and everything. She vaguely heard the door burst open. Footsteps sounded as more moving bodies surrounded them. She heard Wavelry screaming something, screaming her name, screaming Wynonna's name. And then her gun ran out of bullets. And Nicole knew, it was over.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP, OR I SHOOT HER!" A man shouted. Nicole and Wynonna spun around, and to their horror, a man in a suit and tie was holding a barely conscious Waverly against himself, a gun to her head.

"Don't you fucking touch her, you bastard." Wynonna growled.

"Then put your hands up, Earp."

A small croak escaped Waverly's mouth, "D-Don't. 'Nonna, do-"

"Shut it!" he yelled, gripping Waverly harder. Waverly yelped, and fell silent, her eyelids dropping as she struggled to say conscious. Nicole glanced at Wynonna, who nodded. Slowly, the two set their guns onto the ground, and lifted their hands above their heads. Agents came behind them, grabbing their arms and forcing them behind their backs. The man with the half carried Waverly back to the wall, where he forced her to the ground and attached chains that were attached to her wrists at one end, and the wall at the other end. Waverly didn't even have energy to protest, and her head lolled to the side, unresponsive. 

Wynonna and Nicole were shoved over to the wall, on either side of Waverly, where they were chained up in identical chains as Waverly was. They only had about three feet between eachother. If Nicole dared, she could reach out and touch Waverly. But there were people watching, waiting, with guns, and so she didn't. Every part of Nicole was screaming to take Waverly into her arms, to kiss her on the forehead, to tell her everything was okay. 

"Well, Ms. Earp. I hope you're happy. Now you and your halfbreed of a sister can suffer side by side. And you.." the man turned to Nicole, "You must be Nicole. Miss Waverly hasn't stopped talking about you. Hasn't stopped talking about either of you. It get's quite annoying, really.  _Wynonna and Nicole will save me._ " He said in a nasally voice, mimicking Waverly. 

"SHUT UP!" Wynonna yelled, struggling against her chains. "DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT HER!" 

The man threw his head back laughing. "Oh, my dear. You don't know anything about your  _sister,_ do you." 

"Shut. Up." Nicole said through gritted teeth, her fists clenching. 

The man laughed again. "Okay Miss. Haught. Okay. I'll shut up, and leave you three to your little sappy reunion. Don't you fret though, I'll be back." He sneered, before signaling to his cronies to follow him out the door. And he was gone. 

Nicole turned to Waverly. It was the first time she had really looked at her. Waverly looked like a different person. Her face was gaunt, a pale shade of yellow, contrasted by the dark shadows under her eyes. Blood was streaked across her face, and her hair matted with the red liquid. Her face was dripping with sweat, but she shivered, even in her unconscious state. Her clothes were ripped in over a dozen places, revealing harsh gashes. Angry burns covered in dried blood snaked up her neck, and yellow, black, blue, and purple bruises covered the majority of her skin. 

"Waves," Wynonna whispered, reaching a hand out to rest on Waverly. "Baby girl," she said, her voice cracking. "C-Can you hear me?" 

"'Nonna?" Waverly murmured, her eyelids twitching. 

"Hey. Hey baby girl, I'm here." 

"N-Nic?" 

"Hey Waves. Hey baby." 

"I-I knew you'd.. you'd come.." Waverly slurred. 

"We'll always find you Waverly. We're going to get you out of here." Nicole said hoarsely, tears sliding down her face. 

"Promise?" Waverly's eyes cracked open. 

Nicole glanced at Wynonna, who nodded and said. "Yeah. Yeah, we promise." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots of angst again, sorry guys. I promise things will get better soon.

The sounds of the chains rattling together was originally what woke Nicole up. Someone was beside her, and they were crying. Nicole tried to her eyes, wincing at the bruises that stung as she moved. That's everything from the day before hit her hard.  _Waverly._ She opened her eyes, and saw that the person crying next to her, was indeed, Waverly Earp. Waverly's eyes were closed still, but she was whimpering, and tears were streaming down her face. "Waverly? Waves!" Nicole said, trying to snap her out of it. She leaned over, placing a gentle hand on Waverly's shoulder. Waverly's eyes snapped open, and she flinched away from Nicole's touch, yelling in fear, tears continuing to fall freely. 

At this, Wynonna woke up. "The fuck?" she muttered. As she took in the situation, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Waves?" 

Waverly didn't respond. She looked around wildly, eyes glazed over, and grabbed her head with both hands, covering her ears and shaking her head wildly. "'Nonna? NONNA?" She screamed, curling into herself. 

"I'm here! I'm here baby girl, it's me, Wynonna, I'm here!" Wynonna put her hands on Waverly's shoulders. Waverly just continued to scream and sob. 

"WYNONNA!" 

"I'M HERE! WAVERLY EARP, YOU SNAP OUT OF IT!" Wynonna shouted, eye level with Waverly. Waverly stopped thrashing, trembling all over. In her panic, she must've opened some wounds, because blood had started pooling around her. 

"'Nonna?" Waverly whispered, leaning into Wynonna's touch. 

"Hey, babygirl," Wynonna smiled, a tear rolling down her face. 

"I-I was so scared," Waverly whimpered, trembling. 

"Shh, shh, it's okay. I'm here, Nicole's here." 

Waverly lifted her shaking hands up to her face, "Who got hurt?" Wynonna frowned, before realizing that Waverly's hands were dripping with her blood. 

Wynonna glanced at Nicole, who didn't know what to do. "Waves.." she murmured, "What have they been doing to you?" 

Waverly looked up at Nicole, "I-I.." she trailed off. "Blood.. So much blood.." 

Nicole felt her ice cold fury rising in her lungs. "They were drawing your blood?" 

"Calling me.. Calling me a halfbreed.." 

"A halfbreed?" Wynonna frowned, looking at Nicole, who shook her head. 

"Th-They were hitting me.. And they wouldn't stop.. They wouldn't stop!" Waverly cried, tears streaming down her bruised face. 

"Shh.. You're okay, you're okay. We're going to make those assholes pay for what they've done. Okay? We're gonna make them pay." Wynonna said, brushing hair out of Waverly's face. 

"Th-They wouldn't stop... M-Make them stop.. S-Stop.." Waverly's eyes slowly closed, and she went limp. 

Nicole stared for a moment at her girlfriends damaged body, before allowing the tears pooling in her eyes to spill over, and stream down her face. "What are they doing to her Wynonna?" 

Wynonna was silent for a while, her eyes filled with rage. "I don't know." 

"What the fuck do they mean by half-breed? Wynonna, what the fuck do they want with her?" 

"I don't know, Haught!' Wynonna yelled. "But we're going to figure this out, and we're going to kick their asses. You hear me? We're going to figure this out, and we're going to save our girl." 

☆☆☆☆☆

"GET YOUR MOTHERFUCKING HANDS OFF OF HER!" Wynonna was screaming, as the muscular man started to unlock Waverly's chains. 

"DON'T TOUCH HER! WAVERLY! WAVERLY!" Nicole shouted, struggling against her chains, feeling them dig into her wrists. The bullet wound in her arm flared with pain, but she ignored it. "Let her go!" 

Waverly's eyes fluttered open, looking around confusedly, eyes hazy. "S-Stop.." she murmured, breaking Nicole's heart. "Nic? 'Nonna?" she whimpered. 

The man lifted her off the ground, and carried her bridal style out the door. "NO! BRING HER BACK! BRING HER BACK!" Wynonna cried, fighting against her shackles.  Nicole slumped against the wall, dizzy with pain. She was useless. She should be able to protect her girlfriend. She shouldn't have to watch her girlfriend be tortured. She shifted her position and bit down hard on her lip to muffle her whimper of pain.

Wynonna and Nicole sat in silence for a long time, in numb fury and pain. After a while, Wynonna broke the silence, "How's your arm?" 

"What?" 

"Your arm. The bullet graze." 

"It's fine." Nicole said, glancing down at her upper arm. The bandage was coated in dark, dried blood. 

"We can try to change the bandages." 

"I'm fine Earp." 

"Bullshit." 

"We have bigger things to worry about."   


"Just let me change the fucking bandage." 

"Give it a rest Earp." 

"For fucks sake, Haught-" 

"But Waverly-" 

"LET ME CHANGE THE MOTHERFUCKING BANDAGE!" Wynonna shouted. Nicole flinched in surprise. "Listen, Haught. Nicole. I don't want.. Waverly is already.. And if I can't save her, I need to try to.. Just let me do one thing Nicole. Please." 

Nicole sat in shock. Wynonna Earp very rarely showed that much affection to anyone.. Well, anyone other than Waverly. Nicole couldn't remember the last time she had heard Wynonna call her by her first name. "Okay Wynonna. You can change my bandages." 

Wynonna nodded once, her usual stony facade rebuilt. She grabbed her shirt and tore a strip of fabric off it and leaned over to Nicole. She could barely reach Nicole's arm with the chains restraining her. She slowly unwrapped the makeshift bandage that was covering the wound. "Fucking hell Haught, you just had to get in the way of a bullet, didn't you."  


"Shut the fuck up Earp." 

☆☆☆☆☆

They didn't sleep until Waverly came back. Until the muscular man carried her through the door. He set her down next to the two worried women, placing the shackles around her wrists. Waverly's skin was tinted blue. Her hair was frosted with ice, and her lips were a deep shade of purple. It was if they had left her in a blizzard to.. to die. When the man had left the room, Wynonna and Nicole immediately leaned closer to Waverly. "Waves? Baby girl, can you hear me?" Wynonna said gently.   


"Waverly? It's Nic and Wynonna, we're here. Can you open your eyes for me?"  Waverly didn't answer. She was trembling, even in her unconscious state. "Wynonna, we have to warm her up." Nicole put her hands on Waverly's arms, which were colder than ice, and started rubbing them back and forth vigorously. Wynonna put her hands on her sister's face, caressing it gently. "C'mon Waves. C'mon." Waverly didn't move. 

"Waverly mother fucking Earp.  _Wake up_." Nothing. Nicole and Wynonna looked at each other, both fearing the worst, but not wanting to confront it. 

"H-Hey. What's going on?" a hoarse voice said. Waverly struggled to sit up.   


Nicole couldn't help but let a wide smile spread across her face as she looked down at her girlfriend. "Hey baby. Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm fine." Wavelrly smiled weakly. 

"That's a load of shit, babygirl." Wynonna said, smiling a little. Waverly let out a laugh, that quickly turned into a cough. "Hey, hey, shh.. Save your strength." 

"Baby, can you tell us anything about what they're doing to you? We need to get you out of here." Nicole coaxed.

Waverly coughed again, shivering. "Th-They.. They've been watching me. Since I was little. They know e-everything." Wynonna looked at Nicole in horror.

"What do you mean Waves?" Wynonna squeezed Waverly's hand. 

"Th-They have pictures. Of me. Of you guys. Of Daddy. Of everyone." She coughed again, but this time when she pulled her hand away from mouth, there was blood on it. Nicole felt her heart drop into her stomach. Wynonna held Waverly as close as her shackles would allow, ignoring the feel of the metal digging into her wrists. "They k-keep calling me.. They don't think.. They don't think I-I'm human." Waverly said, shivering. 

Everything in Nicole's body was screaming with panic, and her mind shut down. She could vaguely hear Wynonna comforting Waverly, telling her how Waverly was her sister no matter her ancestry, how she loved her, how they were going to get through this, but Nicole just stared at Waverly, at her broken body, feeling helpless. She was supposed to protect Waverly from danger, keep her safe, to comfort her, and take care of her, and here they were, Waverly on the brink of.. Of death. And Nicole couldn't lose her, she couldn't, if she lost Waverly, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. "Haught?" And Wynonna would leave Purgatory, and Nicole wouldn't know where to go because she had nothing except for this town, these people. "Haught!" She couldn't just leave town, but she also couldn't stay, because this place was full of memories, full of  _Waverly_ , Waverly, Waverly, Waverly, Wav- "Nicole!" Nicole looked up. 

"What?" 

"Are you okay?" Wynonna frowned. Nicole looked down at Waverly, whose eyes were closed. "She fell asleep." 

"I'm fine," Nicole took a deep breath. 

Wynonna sighed, looking away for a second, but Nicole could still see her reaching up to wipe a tear away from her cheek. She looked down at Waverly, caressing her sister's hair, this time not trying to hold her tears back, letting them fall down her face. "I'm supposed to protect her. She's my baby sister, and I'm supposed to protect her."   


Nicole was silent for a moment. "We're going to get her out of here. We have to." She said. 

"How?" Wynonna muttered, wiping the tears from her face. 

"I don't know." Nicole admitted. Wynonna snorted disdainfully. "We need to find a way to let Doc and Dolls know where we are." 

"How the hell are we going to do that? We never leave this goddamn room." 

"No," Nicole said, looking down at Waverly as an idea hit her, "But she does." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna and Nicole think up a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst alert, but also some hope maybe??? Enjoy.

"Waves? Can you look at me?" Nicole coaxed, stroking her girlfriend's hair. Waverly looked up shakily from her position in Nicole's lap. "When they come and get you, have you noticed if they have keys on their belts?" 

"I don't.. I'm not sure.." Waverly said, grimacing, and holding her side. 

"Think, baby girl. We need you to think." Wynonna said gently. 

"I don't know.." Waverly cried, irritated, a tear rolling down her face. 

"Okay, okay baby," Nicole said, "Close your eyes. When they bring you down the hall, is there a jingling sound that you hear?" 

Waverly closed her eyes, her forehead wrinkling in frustration. After a long while, she nodded. "Y-Yes." 

"Okay. Okay. Good" Nicole glanced at Wynonna. Their plan was dangerous, specifically for Waverly, if not life threatening. Everything in Nicole hated the plan, except for the fact that it was their only chance. If they didn't do this, they could be stuck here until.. Until one of them.. Until something disastrous happened. Wynonna nodded, encouraging Nicole to continuing to explain. "Okay, next time they take you, when you get back, we need you to try and stay awake. I know it's really hard, baby, I know it's going to hurt, but when they carry you back, we need you to stay awake. When you get back here, you're going to reach down, slowly, and grab the keys from the guards belt. And then, really quickly, before the guards know what's happening, you're going to throw us the keys. Then we can unlock our cuffs, and we'll get out of here." 

Waverly was quiet for a moment, her face serious. "Okay. I'll do it." She nodded. 

"Are you sure babygirl? You don't have to if-" 

"No. I'm doing this."  Waverly said, determined. 

And that was that. 

☆☆☆☆☆

They came for her a few hours later. "Halfbreed." the man grunted as he entered the room, "Time for a field trip." smiling a nearly toothless smile. 

"Don't talk to her." Nicole growled, placing a protective arm around her girlfriend. She saw Wynonna stiffen, out of the corner of her eye. 

"Shut up, dyke." 

"SHUT UP!" Wynonna shouted, straining against her chains. "DON'T TALK TO HER THAT WAY!" her chains clanged as she struggled, getting as far away from the wall as the shackles allowed. 

"Wynonna," Nicole murmured. 

"YOU DON'T GET TO TALK TO ANY OF MY FRIENDS THAT WAY!" Wynonna screamed, angry tears welling her eyes. 

"Wynonna," Nicole said again. The man was ignoring Wynonna, unchaining a dazed Waverly from the wall. 

"'Nonna?" Waverly mumbled, weakly clawing at the man's arms.

"I swear to fucking god I will kill you. I'LL KILL YOU!" 

"WYNONNA!" Nicole shouted, finally silencing the Earp heir.  The man chuckled as he carried Waverly out of the room. The friends sat in silence, Wynonna discreetly wiping unshed tears from her eyes. 

"I just.. I can't.." Wynonna said quietly. 

"I know. I know." Nicole sighed. Wynonna, the Earp heir, for once in her life, was helpless. It was the one thing Wynonna Earp couldn't be. Helpless. 

"She must be so scared," she murmured, "all alone with those.. monsters." 

"Not for long. Soon, we'll be out of here. And we'll all be safe," Nicole sounded more confident than she actually felt. In reality, she was barely holding it together. Every time they took Waverly away, a part of her broke. Every time her girlfriend came back bloody and bruised. Every time Waves woke up screaming. Every time she couldn't do anything except comfort her broken girlfriend. 

"Right. Right," Wynonna nodded, wiping her eyes. "We're going to get her out of here. We're going to figure out what these people want with her. Why they keep calling her a halfbreed. I mean, what the hell does that mean, Haught?" 

"I don't know," Nicole admitted, shaking her head. Their usual silence was restored, as they both settled into deep thought. 

"She's always.. Waverly has always been different. Daddy.. Daddy always treated her differently. He.." Wynonna paused, sighing, "I was an awful sister." 

"I'm sure that's not true." 

"No, it is. I was. Daddy was awful to her. He would yell at her, and.. Once, when I came back from my first time in juvie, Waverly was only.. She was only five. She had a black eye. A bad one. When I asked her happened, she wouldn't tell me. But I think I knew. Deep down I knew it was Daddy, but I never did anything. I didn't do  _anything_." Wynonna was really crying now, no longer trying to hide it. Nicole didn't know what do to. The thought of someone hurting Waverly, let alone Waverly's own father hurting her, made Nicole want to punch through the cement wall. But she wasn't mad at Wynonna, she understood why she did - or rather didn't do - what she did. 

"That wasn't your fault, Wynonna. You were just a kid. If it was anyone's fault, it was your dad's." Nicole said. 

"Asshole," Wynonna grumbled, surprising Nicole. Nicole had never heard Wynonna refer to her father in such a negative manner. Wynonna never said her dad was an angel, but she had certainly never said something so harsh about him. "He was an asshole. I mean, who the fuck treats a five year old like that?" 

Nicole just shook her head, mind wandering back to Waverly. Strong, brave Waverly. All by herself. And all Nicole could do was wait. 

☆☆☆☆☆

When they brought her back, Nicole's heart broke in two. The youngest Earp was completely limp. She was dripping wet - as if she had been submerged in water. It looked like their plan might not go as they planned. "Your little freak is running out of time. The boss says she probably won't last another 4 days."   


Wynonna opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Waverly was moving, the man was yelling, and a jingling bunch of keys were being thrown in their direction. "Bitch!" the man yelled, throwing Waverly to the ground, where she lay motionless. Wynonna had caught the keys and was fiddling with them, trying to find the key that fit the shackles around her wrists. "Don't you dare, Earp!" the man yelled, as he advanced towards Wynonna.   


"Wynonna!" Nicole cried. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking fuck," Wynonna muttered. The man was reaching down to snatch the keys, when Wynonna yelled, "Haught, catch!" She broke free of her shackles, and was on the man in an instant. Nicole fumbled with the keys, her fingers clumsy as she tried to fit them into her locked cuffs. She could hear Wynonna struggling agianst the guard, and Waverly still hadn't moved. It was only a matter of seconds until more guards came to the first one's aid, and there were at least 25 keys on the ring. The few seconds that it took Nicole to unlock her shackles, felt like hours, but just as the door opened with more guards coming to help the guard that Wynonna had just taken down, Nicole was on her feet.   


Her head spun as she stood for the first time in days. "Haught, get Waverly out of the way!" Wynonna yelled. Nicole stumbled over to Waverly, who was limp on the ground. Nicole grabbed the smaller woman under the arms and pulled Waverly over to the side of the room, so she wouldn't get trampled. 

"Waves? Waverly?" Nicole gently shook her girlfriend. There was no response. Gunshots rang out around her - Wynonna seemed to have stolen a few of the officers' guns. "Waverly!" Nicole yelled, shaking her slightly harder. Her fingers fumbled on Waverly's neck, searching for a pulse. "C'mon baby, c'mon. C'mon Waverly, be strong. Be strong baby." Nothing. "Waverly Earp, you're not leaving me now. Not now, baby, we're about to get out of here, not now!" Nicole cried, starting CPR, pounding on Waverly's chest. "C'mon. C'MON!" Nicole shouted. Wynonna was by her side now. 

"Haught? Is she.. Is she not.. Haught? Nicole!" Wynonna panicked. 

"She doesn't have a pulse!" Nicole cried, leaning over Waverly, tipping her chin back, and pressing her mouth to Waverly's, breathing into her mouth twice. "C'mon Waes, god dammit, c'mon!"  


"Baby girl! You listen to me, you don't get to give up on us now, c'mon Waverly Earp, you come back to us! Come back to us!" Wynonna sobbed, and Nicole could feel tears rolling down her own face as she continued CPR. She leaned over and gave Waverly two more breaths. She sat up, pumping on Waverly's chest when suddenly, Nicole heard the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard in her life. A raspy gasp escaped Waverly's throat, and Nicole couldn't help but smile. 

"Hey baby, hey baby, it's okay, we've got you," Nicole said, holding her girlfriend close to her.

"N.. Nic.." Waverly coughed. 

"Shh.. Shh.. We're gonna get you out of here." 

"N-Nonna..?" 

"Hey babygirl, hey." A faint smile appeared on Waverly's face, as she closed her eyes. Nicole checked her pulse again, relieved to find it there, although admittedly faint. "We have to get out of here," Wynonna said, picking up her baby sister from Nicole's arms.

"I can carry her, Wynonna," 

"No, your arm is injured and we can't afford you slowing us down," Wynonna said, as she headed to the door. Nicole knew she was right - she could feel the wound on her arm burning as if on fire, it was probably infected - but a small part of her wished she could carry Waverly. She wanted to feel her girlfriend breathing in her arms, reassuring her that Waverly was still with them. Instead of protesting, she picked up two guns from some guards lying on the ground and followed Wynonna. 

They walked down the hall, Nicole ahead of the Earp sisters, guns out in front of her, ready to defend her family. "We need to find a phone, and Peacemaker," Wynonna said, looking around. Nicole nodded, rounding the corner. 

A movement in the corner caught her eye, and she pulled the trigger on her guns. "Earp, get Waverly out of here!" 

"I'm not leaving you!" Wynonna said, setting her sister down gently, and coming to Nicole's side. Two people came around the corner, and the women started shooting rapid fire. 

"Hey!" one figure yelled, "Hold your fire, hold your fire! It's me!" the person took their hood down to reveal a familiar face, as did the person to their left. 

"Doc? Dolls?" Wynonna said incredulously. 

"Earp." Dolls said, meeting Wynonna's eyes, "Sorry it took us so long." 

"We need to call an ambulance," Nicole interrupted as she hurried to Waverly's side, trying to lift her. 

"Oh no, sweet Waverly.."  Doc said, coming to Nicole's side, as Dolls took his phone out and started to call 911. "Ms. Haught, allow me," Doc said, gently lifting Waverly's broken body off the ground. Nicole nodded gratefully, stumbling to her feet, feeling her arm flare with red hot pain. 

"The ambulance is on their way. Let's get out of here," Dolls said. 

"Wait, Waverly said they have files on her. We need to-" Wynonna started. 

"Already done," Doc interrupted as Dolls held up a very full manila folder. The team of five slowly made their way out of the building in silence. Waverly stayed unconscious the whole time. She only woke up when they were sitting outside the building, waiting for the ambulance. 

"Hey baby," Nicole said, kissing Waverly on the forehead. "Hey, we're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. Those people will never hurt you again," the sound of a siren neared them, and flashing lights started to surround them. 

"I-I'm sorry.." Waverly murmured, pulling herself closer to Nicole. 

"Sorry?" Nicole frowned, "Baby, you have nothing to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong," she put a hand over Waverly's. Waverly's forehead crinkled, as if she was confused, and she closed her eyes. 

"Ma'am? Ma'am, we need to get you and your friends to the hospital." a paramedic had come to Nicole's side, speaking urgently as she look at the state Waverly was in. Nicole said nothing. "Ma'am? I need to take you and your friend to the ambulance." Nicole nodded dazedly, and allowed the woman to help her stand and guide her over to the truck. Another few paramedics lifted Waverly onto a stretcher and carried her to the ambulance. 

As Nicole sat next to Wynonna in the truck and watched Waverly, she couldn't help but think,  _We did it. We're going to be okay. We're going to be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was this chapter for you guys? Let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly is safe and in the hospital, but the doctors are stumped by her symptoms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise things will start to get better and happier soon.

The waiting room smelled like disinfectant and metal. Everything was bleach colored. Nicole smelled like blood and sweat. The water ran red as the nurse helped Nicole wash her hands. The stitches arm were brown against the rosy, swollen skin of her arm. The door to Waverly's room was white, like everything else in the hospital. The nurse that had to drag Wynonna and Nicole away from said door, was wearing mint green scrubs. The sheets of the two beds Wynonna and Nicole were forced into were a pale, washed out blue.

"No, I won't stay in this fucking bed, while my baby sister is being operated on! No one will tell me what the hell is going on! What is happening to my baby girl?" Wynonna was shouting

"Ms. Earp, you need to calm down. Please," the exhausted nurse said.

"No! I won't calm down, until you let me see her! At least tell me what's going on! Will she be okay?" Wynonna yelled.

"Wynonna," Nicole murmured.

"Ms. Earp, I need you too get in your bed. You are weak, and need to rest. We will update you on your sister when we have something to say! All I can tell you right now is that Waverly is in the best of hands, and we are doing everything in our power to help her. Now, all you can do to help your sister, is to lie down in that bed, and rest," the nurse said firmly. Wynonna fell silent, before turning and getting into her bed, glaring at the floor, clenching her fists. The nurse nodded, satisfied, and left the room.

Nicole itched at the bandages around her raw wrists, feeling useless. Waverly. Waverly, I'm sorry. I'm sorry baby, I should be with you. She couldn't stop thinking about how scared and lonely Waverly must be, how Nicole should be with her, holding her hand, whispering comforting words to her, kissing her forehead. She should've been strong enough to save Waverly, but she never was, she was never strong enough.

☆☆☆☆☆

"You can see her now," the nurse had barely finished her sentence, when both Nicole and Wynonna had torn out their IVs and were out of bed. "Please, slow down, you've experienced some serious trauma." The pair ignored the nurse, rushing down the hall to Waverly's door. "Before you go in, please know.. Waverly isn't.. Her condition might be shocking for you. She probably won't wake up, but you can talk to her. Who knows, maybe she'll hear you." Wynonna didn't say anything before swinging the door open and hurrying to her sister, but Nicole stopped for a moment and looked at the nurse.

"Thank you," Nicole whispered, before following Wynonna into her girlfriend's room.

Waverly was broken. That was the only way to describe her. Broken. Her skin was gaunt and nearly translucent. Tubes stuck out from at least 5 different places on Waverly's body, and blood soaked through bandages littering her slight form. Machines beeped in monotone eeriness. The two tubes that looped around Waverly's ears and met under her nose were connected to a machine that was whistling softly. And then there was the sound of Wynonna's soft sniffling. The heir was crying, and Nicole suddenly realized that there were tears streaming down her own face as well.

Wynonna kneeled by Waverly's bedside, gently taking her hand. "Hey, baby girl," Wynonna smiled weakly through her tears. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I let this happen."

Nicole went around to the other side of bed, and pressed a soft kiss to her girlfriend's ghostly forehead. As Nicole was bent over her beloved Waverly, she whispered, "Waves. Hey. I'm here. You're safe. You're safe now," She sat down in the chair next to the bed, taking Waverly's other hand in hers, kissing it.

"We're okay Waverly. Nicole and I are here, and we're okay, and you're going to be okay." Wynonna said, the slow stream of tears becoming more of a waterfall and the heir was bent over, clutching her own body, sobbing uncontrollably. Nicole hesitated for a second before getting up and coming to the Earp's side. She slowly sank to the floor next to her, wrapping her arms around the sobbing woman. Wynonna leaned into Nicole, her body shaking violently, and Nicole felt her own grip on her emotions start to slip. The tears started slow and gentle, but then Nicole was trembling and everything hurt so bad because Waverly wasn't waking up and what if she never woke up and what if it was Nicole's fault and what if she couldn't handle it. She held Wynonna closer, cradling her head gently aganist her chest. There was an understanding between the two women, a shared aguish and fear that only they understood.

☆☆☆☆☆

"Waverly has suffered an incredible amount of injuries. It is incredible she has managed to survive thus far." The doctor explained.

"Thus far? What do you mean  _thus far_?" Wynonna demanded. 

"What sorts of injuries? How serious?" Nicole asked seriously. 

"Well, she has some third degree burns that travel from the top of her neck to the start of her chest. She is severely dehydrated and malnourished. She has a variety of serious gashes all over her body, a possible concussion, harsh bruises almost everywhere, and she is showing symptoms of serious pneumonia." The doctor listed, his face grim. "Lastly, we have found something strange in her blood." 

"Strange? What does that mean?" Nicole frowned. 

"Well, it seems to be a type of poison that has been absorbed by her body. But, the thing is, we can't recognize any of the ingredients in the substance. It is not anything we've seen in typical poisonous liquids. The things in the liquid, don't seem to thing that should affect most humans. It doesn't make any sense that Waverly is reacting this way." 

 _"Halfbreed." "They don't think I'm human." "They've been watching me.. Since I was little,"_ Words ran through Nicole's mind. "Thank you Doctor," Nicole said, smiling slightly. Once the doctor had left, Nicole turned to Wynonna. "We need that file." 

Wynonna nodded. "Doc has it."

Half an hour later, Doc, Dolls, and Jeremy showed up in the hospital waiting room, with the thick manila folder in hand. The five sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, thumbing through the file. The contents were disturbing. It featured over 50 pictures of Waverly, the first few, showed Waverly as a toddler, playing in the yard of the homestead with a young Wynonna, and then chronicling her growing up. There were pictures of Waverly and Nicole kissing, of an angry looking Willa yelling at a very young Waverly, of Waverly at a pep fest, dressed in her cheerleading outfit, of Wynonna, mid swig of alcohol, Waverly sitting next to her. The most recent picture was of Waverly in front of a familiar looking restaurant. With a jolt, Nicole realized that the picture must've been taken moments before Waverly had been taken. "They've been following her since she was a toddler," Nicole breathed, feeling the familiar anger bubbling in her chest. 

"Bastards," Doc muttered. 

However, the profile on Waverly was even more disturbing. It read: 

** Waverly Earp  **

**Age: 22**

**Adopted Parents: Ward Earp _(deceased)_ and Michelle Earp **

**Adopted Siblings: Wynonna Earp, Willa Earp ( _deceased)_**

**Biological Parents: Unknown**

**Normal eye color: Green**

**Eye color when provoked: Silver or Black**

**Hair color: Brown**

**Tests run so far:**

**- Water submersion**

**\- Reaction to fire**

**\- Reaction to seb-zero temperatures**

**\- Electrocution**

The list went on and on and on. It seemed like the government, or whatever the hell this organization was, had been trying to see what they could do make Waverly.. Access her her  _abilities,_ whatever that meant. The thing that struck the team most, was this: 

**Species: Half angel (Sub species unknown), 1/4 demon (sub species unknown), 1/4 human**

**Status: Subject is no longer a threat.**

Silence fell over the group. Nicole's brain was simultaneously shut down and racing. Waverly wasn't an Earp. Waverly wasn't even human. And apparently, Waverly was no longer a threat. Did this have something to do with the mysterious substance in Waverly's blood? 

"What the hell do they mean, she's no longer a threat?" Wynonna growled. 

"Earp," Dolls sighed. 

"No! Why the fuck would they say that? That sounds to final, to certain!" 

"Earp," 

"Is this why they put that poison in her blood? Did they get bored of her?" 

"Earp!"

"I don't unders-" 

"Wynonna!" Dolls yelled, silencing the hysterical Earp. "Take a breath, okay. Just breath. Process." He turned to Jeremy, "Jeremy, can you and Doc take the file back to the office and see what you can figure out about this poison. I'm going to contact Black Badge. Wynonna, Nicole, do you two need anything? Coffee, food, a change of clothes?" 

Wynonna was silent. Nicole looked up briefly, "I think we're fine." 

Dolls took a long look at the pair, before answering, "I'm getting you coffee and some sandwiches or something." He turned and left with Jeremy and Doc.

Wynonna and Nicole sat quietly for a while. Nicole tried to distract herself by counting the tiles on the ceiling. Suddenly, Wynonna whispered, "I can't believe she's not my sister." Nicole didn't know what to say. "I mean, of course she's my sister. But she's not.. She's not  _human_ , Nicole. She's not  _human_." 

Nicole smiled a little. "Of course she's not. She's half angel. Of all the people that would ever be part angel, of course it could only be Waverly." 

Wynonna let out a harsh laugh. "I knew she was too good to be human." Nicole chuckled dryly. They sat in silence for a while longer, when a nurse came over to them. 

"Ms. Earp? Ms. Haught?" He asked.

"That's us," Nicole stood up. 

"Waverly has woken up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bare with me! It get's better!

"She's on a lot of medication, so she might not be very aware. Because of the severe trauma she has endured, it is uncertain her mental health status thus far. Be gentle and patient." The nurse said calmly.

Nicole nodded. "Thank you." she said, and then she opened the door, Wynonna right behind her. Waverly's eyes were open and when they landed on Wynonna and Nicole, she managed a tiny smile, breaking Nicole's heart. She felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes as she made her way to Waverly's side. "Hey sweetie," she croaked, trying to ignore the tears rolling down her face, "Hey."

Waverly's smile grew a little, and she managed a small, "Hi," that was barely audible, but it was enough, because it was Waverly. 

 "You scared us for a second, baby girl," Wynonna appeared on the other side of Waverly's bed. Nicole couldn't help but think about how she was  _still_ scared, and so Wynonna shouldn't have said that in the past tense because there was nothing okay about what was happening right now, and Nicole was scared, she was so scared, she was so, so scared. 

"I-I knew you'd come," Waverly wheezed, looking from Wynonna to Nicole, "I knew y-you'd save me," 

"Always," Nicole said, gently placing a hand on Waverly's. Waverly flinched at the contact, jerking her hand back. Nicole frowned, looking at Wynonna, who mirrored Nicole's look of concern. 

"Sorry," Waverly murmured, "You surprised me." 

Nicole smiled, trying to pretend that Waverly's reaction hadn't fazed her, "It's fine. I should've-" Nicole was cut off by Waverly's cracked and dry hand sliding on top of hers. 

"I just-" Waverly started, seeming upset, "I'm sorry, I-" 

"You have nothing to apologize for Waves," Wynonna interrupted, smiling through her concern. 

"I was so scared," Waverly whimpered, "I was so scared, 'Nonna," her eyes starting to close. 

"I know Waves, I know baby girl, but you're safe now," But she wasn't, Nicole thought. Waverly wasn't safe yet because there was poison in her blood and no one knew what the antidote was and Nicole was just sitting her being useless, useless, like usual. 

Waverly's heavy eyes traveled to the bandages around Nicole's wrists and around her arm, "Y-You're hurt,"

Nicole almost laughed, "Waves, I'm fine. It's you we're worried about," Waverly frowned, as her eyes closed, and she settled back into a drug induced sleep. Nicole watched Waverly, watching the way her chest rose up and down, watching the way her eyelashes fluttered slightly. 

"We need to do something, Nicole. We need to do something."

☆☆☆☆☆

The first thing Waverly saw was the white ceiling. The next thing she saw was a nurse's smiling face. The nurse's mouth was moving like she was talking, but all Waverly heard was a faint whistling and static. "What?" she murmured, her tongue feeling to large for her mouth, her brow furrowing. And then she was asleep again. 

The third thing she saw, when she woke up again, was pain. The pain clouded her vision and swarmed around her head, and she tried to cry out, but there wasn't any sound, so she tried to scream louder, and suddenly there was that same nurse and she was pressing a button on a counsel next to Waverly's bed and Waverly's eyelids grew heavy and she drifted out to the deep waters of sleep. 

The fourth thing she saw was the door swinging upon and two familiar faces coming in. Waverly's chest warmed a little, as her eyes settled on a slightly blurry Nicole and Wynonna. They talked to her for a while, and Waverly tried to stay with them, to keep herself from drifting away back to that dark place. She struggled to hold on, she tried so hard, but she kept flashing back to that place, to those rooms with the tanks of water, with the electric chairs, with the knives, with the chains, with the blow torch, and suddenly someone touched her hand and she pulled away. But when she came back she realized it was just Nicole, who looked worried. Waverly felt her heart breaking, because she wasn't good enough for Nicole anymore, Nicole deserved better than Waverly, because Waverly was broken. And Wynonna was crying a little, and Wynonna never cried and it was Waverly's fault. Waverly wanted to apologize, but the pain was snaking up her body, smothering her, and Nicole had bandages on her arms, and it was too much, it was too much, and then it was dark. 

She dreamed of dark rooms, and rusty shackles, and rats scampering across the floor, and pain, and hunger, and thirst. 

☆☆☆☆☆

"I just don't understand why this is necessary," Nicole said, folding her arms. 

"Ms. Haught, you and your friends were involved with a serious kidnapping. Your girlfriend has undergone some severe torture. We need you two and Waverly to answer some questions so we can find the people that did this," the detective said patiently. 

"I don't think my sister is in any kind of condition to answer any bullshit questions you have! Can't you at least wait till she is stronger?" Wynonna demanded. 

"Ms. Earp, I know this is hard, but we don't want what happened to your sister to happen to anyone else. The only thing we can do to stop these people, is to try to find them. And currently, you and Waverly are our only leads." 

Nicole and Wynonna were quiet, not knowing how to fight this, when a nurse appeared in front of them, "Waverly is awake." 

The detective stood, clipboard in hand. "You can come with me if you wish, as long as you do not interrupt the process." Wynonna and Nicole immediately stood, following the detective into Waverly's room. Waverly was propped up slightly with pillows, and her hazel eyes widened in confusion as they landed on the detective. Her expression softened a little when she saw Nicole and Wynonna enter, but as the detective sat down next to her, Waverly flinched, and tried to move away from her. 

"Hey, Waves, it's okay, we're here," Nicole said, sitting down on the other side of her bed, "She's just here to ask you a few questions, okay?" 

Waverly nodded slightly, "Okay," she murmured, her voice hoarse. 

"Hello Ms. Earp, I'm Detective Sofia Fox, and I'm just going to ask you a few questions. If it's too much, just tell me, and we can stop." Waverly nodded again. "Okay, where were you right before you were taken?"

Waverly hesitated for a second, "I-I was outside the Chinese restaurant," 

"Okay, good. And what do you remember happening next?" 

Waverly tensed, and Nicole fought the need to hold her hand, "I was looking at my phone, about to tex 'Nonna. Th-There was this man.." Waverly trailed off, pausing. "He grabbed me, and.. He threw me to the ground and.. I-I tried to fight back, but he w-was too strong." Waverly fell silent, a single tear rolled down her face. 

"And do you have any idea of why the chose you?" 

At this, Waverly looked at Wynonna. "Th-They wanted to study me." she said quietly. 

"Study you? Did they run tests on you?" 

Waverly squeezed her eyes shut, holding her head between her hands, whimpering slightly, "Shh.. Babygirl, it's okay. We can stop. We can stop," Wynonna said. 

"Th-They wanted to see.. How I-I would r-react to things." Waverly shuddered, tears flowing freely down her face. 

"Okay, okay, that's it. We're done, no more questions," Wynonna said forcefully, putting a hand gently on Waverly's shoulder. "No more questions." 

Detective Fox nodded. "Okay, that's fine. I might come back when Waverly is feeling more up to it, but for now, please focus on recovering. All of you," and she left. 

Wynonna and Nicole stayed with Waverly as she cried and whimpered for about an hour, refusing to speak to anyone. Eventually, Waverly fell asleep, leaving Nicole's heart broken into pieces. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I got really emotional writing this chapter.

_"They're not coming. Your girlfriend and sister aren't coming. No one will ever find you. They've probably already stopped searching for you. I'm the only one that cares about you now,"  the man said, inches from her face, as he stuck the sticky pads onto her forehead. Waverly could smell the cigarette smoke on his breath._

_"Th-They're coming. They're coming," Waverly said, her voice cracking. Her throat was raw and dry - she hadn't had anything to drink in at least two days._

_"Now, Ms. Waverly, this might hurt a little bit," he grinned, holding a taser up to Waverly's face, "you know I don't like to hurt you, but it's necessary," at this, Waverly snorted disdainfully. "I'm sorry, my pet. This will be over soon," he jabbed the taser into Waverly's side and her world went white with pain._

_She screamed, her body jerking uncontrollably, feeling warm blood roll down her hands from where the handcuffs were cutting into her wrists. "Please!" she shrieked, "PLEASE STOP!" the man  removed the taser from Waverly's skin. Waverly spat blood out of her mouth, the result of her constant screaming from the past two days, and lack of water.  
_

_"Interesting," the man narrowed his eyes, "Very interesting. You are a wonder, my pet."_

_"Don't call me that," Waverly spat, her head spinning._

_"I'll call you whatever I want," he sneered._ _Waverly struggled against her cuffs, knowing the struggle was useless, but not being able to find the strength to stay still.  "Now, hold still. Don't make this worse than it needs to be." Waverly glared at him and spat directly in his face. The instant she did it, she knew it was a mistake. He reached up to his face and wiped the spit of his face in one abrupt movement. "Oh, my dear," he said, an terrifying icy calm in his eyes. "Why must you make me do this?" he raised the taser, and Waverly saw him push the buttons so the pain levels were heightened._

_"No. No, please. Please, no," she whispered, tears sliding down her face. The man raised his hand and struck Waverly across the face, his rings breaking the skin of her cheek._

_"That's not going to work on me, my darling. You know it won't." he raised the taser, and shoved it into Waverly's side and her world faded into white._

☆☆☆☆☆

"Wynonna? Wynonna wake up!" Nicole cried, panicked. 

The heir jerked awake, "What? What's going on?" she asked, before her eyes landed on her sister. The small woman was flailing uncontrollably. She was groaning loudly, as though in pain. "Waves? Baby girl, it's me. It's Wynonna, it's 'Nonna!" Wynonna placed a hand on Waverly's shoulder, but her sister was jerking too violently. Waverly's groan were turning into screams, and nurses and doctors were rushing in. 

"Don't hurt her!" Nicole cried, as nurses grabbed Waverly by the shoulders, forcing her down. "Be careful, please!" a doctor plunged a syringe into Waverly's arm, and she became limp. Wynonna and Nicole stood next to each other, breathless, and shaking. 

Moments later, they were sitting in the waiting room, a very serious looking doctor standing in front of them. "Waverly has been acting unlike any other patient we've ever encountered. Her brain activity goes from off the charts one moment to almost non-existent the next. Sometimes, when she is awake, she seems almost normal. But other times, we can't get her to stop screaming. The substance in her blood seems to be affecting her not only mentally, but physically as well." 

"Well, what are we doing about it? We can't just let her suffer!" Wynonna demanded. 

The woman paused, "Things aren't looking good. We've tried virtually everything. I need you to know that we might be moving from treating Waverly's condition, to simply making her as comfortable as possible for the time she has left." It was in that moment that Nicole felt her world collapse. Things were fuzzy and there was someone yelling and crying next to her, but Nicole couldn't focus her eyes enough to see who. She wasn't crying. Why wasn't she crying? She just found out that the doctors couldn't do anything to save the woman she loved. She should be crying, she should be sobbing. Because now it was up to them. They were the only ones who knew Waverly's origins, who knew why she had been tortured, and studied, and poisoned. And if Waverly died it was Nicole's fault. All Nicole's fault. 

"You don't get to just give up on her!" Wynonna was screaming. 

"We aren't giving up one her, Ms. Earp, we will continue trying every antidote in the book, but I need you to know that you need to start preparing for the worst." 

"No, no, no, I don't believe you. I don't believe you, Waverly's gonna be fine. She's going to be fine." Wynonna said, hysterically. 

"Ms. Earp, please, calm down-" 

"No! I won't calm down, because my baby sister is dying! My baby sister!" Wynonna screamed. 

"Ms. Earp!" 

"I won't give up on her! I won't! At least let her come home! Please!" 

"We can't dismiss Ms. Earp unless her condition improves. It wouldn't be safe for Waverly or for you two." 

Wynonna was trembling, and tears rushed down her face. Nicole was still frozen. She couldn't bring herself to move, because if Waverly was gone, nothing mattered, Nicole's life didn't matter. 

"Earp?!" A voice was calling from across the room, "Earp, what's wrong?" Dolls rushed to the heir, immediately by her side, Doc behind him. Wynonna immediately leaned into him, sobbing into his shoulder. Dolls held her closer, cradling her head. He was obviously confused and unsure what to do. 

"I-It's Waves. She.. They think she might not make it.." Dolls' eyes widened in shock. 

Someone was talking to Nicole but she wasn't sure who. They were speaking gently, an arm on Nicole's shoulder. "Ms. Haught.. Can you hear me?" 

Nicole could hear them, but what was the point in responding. 

"Ms. Haught. You can't give up. You can't give up on Ms. Waverly. You know she's strong. You know that she's going to keep fighting until the end. Even if she doesn't have much time left, that time should be sent surrounded by the people she loves. And that means you," 

They were right. Waverly needed Nicole. Nicole needed Waverly. Nicole managed to lift her head, and focus her eyes enough to see that the person talking to her was Doc. The moment she made eye contact with the man, tears pooled in his eyes, and spilled over, and suddenly she was sobbing. "Oh, Ms. Haught. I'm so sorry," Doc said, sitting in the chair next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. Nicole leaned into him, accepting his comfort, letting herself be vulnerable for the first time in a while. 

"I-I can't do it without her," Nicole wheezed, trembling. 

"You don't have to right now. Waverly is here still. She might not be here forever, but if that day comes we will deal with it. For now, you need to focus on taking care of yourself, and Waverly." Doc said calmly. 

Nicole nodded, shakily, wiping the tears from her face, sitting up straight. "Th-Thank you," 

"Any time, Nicole," Doc smiled sadly. Wynonna had gotten off the ground and was sitting in a chair, leaning against Dolls who was sitting next to her. It was silent in the waiting room, leaving the four to marinate in their thoughts. 

"Ms. Earp? Ms. Haught?"  a hesitant nurse said. Everyone looked up. "Waverly's awake. She's asking for you." 

"How is she?" Nicole demanded as she stood suddenly. 

"Mentally, she seems pretty stable, but she mentioned being in some pain. She said it wasn't that bad, but my guess is she's in more pain than she's letting on." 

Wynonna shook her head, smiling slightly, "That's my girl, always being tougher than she needs to be,"  they followed the nurse to Waverly's room. 

Waverly was propped up with a few pillows, and her eyes were open. When her eyes landed on Wynonna and Nicole, she smiled a little. Nicole's heart warmed, but she couldn't help but notice how Waverly's cheek bones stuck out and her eyes were sunken in and her skin was off color. "Hey babygirl," Wynonna said, coming over to Waverly's side. 

"H-Hey 'Nonna," Waverly smiled. She turned to look at Nicole, "N-Nic," 

"Waves," Nicole said, and she smiled too, but she couldn't help but think about how this might be one of the last times that Nicole would ever speak to Waverly. 

"What's wrong?" Waverly frowned. 

"What do you mean?" Nicole said, trying to smile it off. 

"You're acting weird," 

"No, I'm not." 

"Nic, j-just because I'm hurt doesn't mean you can't talk to me," Waverly said gently and it broke Nicole's heart, because Waverly didn't know how serious things were. She didn't know about the poison running through her veins.

"I-" Nicole started, unsure what to say. "I'm just worried about you," 

"Y-You don't have to worry anymore. I'm safe. I'm going to be fine," Waverly assured her. Nicole looked desperately at Wynonna, who sighed, running a hand through her hair. 

"Listen, Waves, I don't know how much the doctors have told you.." Wynonna started. Waverly could obviously tell something was very wrong because Wynonna was tearing up a little. 

"Wynonna, y-you're scaring me,"  Waverly said, and she was shaking a little. Wynonna didn't answer. "Wynonna, you're scaring me, what's going on?" Tears were starting to trickle down Wynonna's face. Waverly was obviously starting to panic, she looked to Nicole. "Nicole/ N-Nic, what's going on? Why's Wynonna crying? Nicole, answer me please, I'm scared!" 

Nicole swallowed. "Waves.. They've found something i-in your blood." 

"What do you mean,  _something_?" Waverly demanded. 

"A poison. And they can't identify it. It's nothing they've ever seen before and they don't know why.. Why you're reacting this way to it." Waverly was trembling, but Nicole had to say it, because if she didn't say it now, she never would, "We took the files those people had on you. You.. You're not.. You're not human, Waves." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts with some angst, ends with some Wayhaught feels, and some more angst.

Waverly was silent. She was silent, and Nicole was scared, because Waverly's wasn't saying anything. Waverly wasn't saying anything and Nicole was scared and Wynonna was staring at Waverly. 

"Waves?" Wynonna murmured hesitantly. Waverly didn't answer. "Baby girl?" 

"What am I?" Waverly said so quietly that Nicole had to lean in to hear her. 

"What?" Wynonna asked. 

"What. Am. I." Waverly said, her voice steely and grim. Nicole felt her chest hurting at how scared and angry Waverly sounded. Wynonna didn't answer. 

"You're.. You're 1/4 human, 1/4 angel and.. and 1/2 demon." Nicole managed, wincing at the hurt on Waverly's face. 

"And.. My parents?" 

"We don't know, Waves," Wynonna said, "We don't know." 

"S-So I'm not.. I'm not an Earp. I'm n-not your sister." Waverly whimpered, a tear rolling down her face. 

"Of course you're my sister. Of course you are," Wynonna cried, reaching out to touch Waverly on the shoulder. Waverly jerked back, crying out slightly, and wrapping her arms around herself. A look of guilt and pain flashed upon Wynonna's face, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry baby girl, I didn't mean to scare you. I just want you to be okay."

Waverly shook her head violently, "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me, I just-" 

"You don't need to apologize for anything-" Nicole began. 

"Sometimes, when s-stuff happens, I-I see h-him, and it's like I'm back there, in those rooms, and I'm sorry, you guys deserve better, I can't-"" 

"Waverly! Stop," Nicole cried. Waverly flinched slightly at the volume, tears streaming down her face, "There is nothing wrong with you. You have done nothing wrong. What happened to you, was in no way your fault." 

"I-I was s-so scared.. I thought.. I thought I would never.." Waverly trailed off, wincing a little as she shifted. 

Suddenly the door burst open, causing Waverly to go tense. Dolls stood in the doorway, "We've found something." Nicole glanced from Waverly to Wynonna to Dolls, not wanting to leave her girlfriend. 

"I'll go," Wynonna said, "You stay," she nodded at Nicole. 

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Wynonna said, glancing at Waverly, "As long as it's okay with you, baby girl." 

Waverly nodded slightly, her attention elsewhere. Wynonna took one more long look at Waverly, before leaving the room with Dolls. Nicole and Waverly sat in silence. Nicole watched as Waverly's eyelids dropped, and her body relaxed and she slowly fell asleep. 

However, Waverly had only been asleep for perhaps half an hour, when Nicole heard a a soft murmuring. At first she thought she was imaging the sound, but when she turned to face Waverly, she saw that her girlfriend was stirring. Waverly seemed to be whispering something in her sleep, and her head was jerking from side to side. "Waverly?" Nicole said hesitantly. "Waves?" Waverly's whimpers turned to groans, and she was writhing violently in the hospital bed. 

"No! No, please, please not again, not again, please!" Waverly cried, thrashing. 

"Waves! Waverly, wake up! You're safe, you're here!" Nicole said, reaching towards the button that would call a nurse. She stopped suddenly, the image of doctors holding Waverly down, plunging a syringe into her arm as she screamed flashing through her mind. She couldn't do that to Waverly. 

"Stop! STOP!" Waverly screamed. 

"Waverly! WAVERLY EARP!" Nicole yelled, grabbing Waverly's shoulders, trying not to hurt her. "Waverly, I'm right here, it's Nicole, it's your girlfriend and I'm right here. I'm right here and you're here, you're safe. You're safe, no one's going to hurt you," Nicole said desperately, trying to get through to her. 

"Get away from me!" Waverly cried, writhing more. "W-What do you want from me?" 

"Waverly, Waverly Earp! Listen to me. You are safe. I love you. I love you so, so much. I'm never going to let you get hurt again, but you need to do something for me first. You need to wake up! Wake. Up." Nicole said forcefully. Waverly suddenly fell still, and her eyes slowly opened. 

"N-Nicole?" she murmured. 

"Hey, I'm here. I'm here. It's okay," Waverly took another look at Nicole, and suddenly was sobbing curling into Nicole, shaking violently. "Shh.. Shh.. It's okay. You're alright." They stayed like this for a while, Waverly sobbing, Nicole holding her. 

"N-Nic?" 

"Yeah, Waves?" 

"Am I going insane?"

"No, baby, you're not insane. You've just been through a lot of scary stuff." Nicole assured her. 

There was a moment of silence before Waverly said, "Am I dying?" Nicole's heart fell to her stomach, and she didn't know what to say. Waverly was staring at her, and Nicole could feel her slight body trembling against her. Nicole couldn't bear to tell Waverly the truth, she couldn't be the one to break Waverly's heart. "I am, aren't I. I-I'm dying." she whispered. 

Tears had pooled in Nicole's eyes and they were starting to spill over, "W-We're trying so hard baby. We really are. We're trying to find the antidote to the poison, but we obviously can't tell the doctors everything, so Dolls and Jeremy are working on it. I promise, I'm going to do everything in my power to.. T-To keep you safe. Okay? You're not going anywhere for a long time, I promise. I promise you." 

"Y-You don't have to do that." Waverly murmured. "You don't have to pretend. It's not your fault, but you can't save me from everything. I-If, I'm going to d-die, I-" 

"No, Waverly Earp, you don't get to give up. You don't get to do that to me," Nicole said firmly, tears running down her face. 

"I-If I'm going to die, I want to.. To be with you.. You, and 'Nonna, and the others. I want to go home. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, wh-whether that be fifty years, or a few weeks, or a few days." 

The tears were really falling now, and Nicole felt herself shaking, "Waverly, you're not going to die. I won't accept it." 

"Maybe you can't do anything t-to save me this time." Waverly said, a few tears rolling down her face. 

"That won't keep me from trying. You better keep fighting, Waverly. I know, it's so hard, but please, keep fighting. I can't do it without you. I-I can't," 

"I-It's okay. I-It's okay. I'm not going anywhere right now, Nicole. Right now, it's just you and me. You and me." 

"I wish we could stop time. Make this last forever." 

"Just you and me," Waverly murmured, her eyes slowly closing as she drifted off to sleep. "Just you and me." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Let me know!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will get a little happier towards the end.

The next few days were a nightmare. Waverly was getting weaker, and sicker, and the pain was becoming unbearable. Dolls and Jeremy had made some progress on a cure, but they were performing more tests on it before giving it to Waverly. On the rare occasion that Waverly was awake, she was usually confused, and scared. Sometimes she didn't remember who Nicole and Wynonna were. Sometimes she thought she was back in that place, being tortured. 

"Hey babygirl. It's me. It's Wynonna. I miss you so much." Wynonna said, sitting down next to her sister's bed. Nicole had gone home to shower and to pick up some of Waverly's favorite blankets. It was the first time Wynonna had been alone with her sister for a long time. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I love you. I hope you know that." Waverly didn't respond, which was what Wynonna expected, of course. Her sister had been heavily sedated the day before, during a fit, and still hadn't woken up. Wynonna had never felt so helpless in her life. It was her job to take care of Waverly. To make sure that no one ever hurt her. And she had failed. "I don't know what to do. I don't know who to ask for help. I would normally turn to you for help, but I obviously can't do that now. What.. What should I do, Waves? What should I do?" Wynonna put her head in her hands, tears streaming down her face. 

"'Nonna?" a faint whisper made Wynonna look up. Waverly's eyes were open, and she was looking right at her. For the first time in almost a week, it seemed like Waverly was really there, in the room, not lost in a memory, or hallucination. 

"Waves," Wynonna smiled, sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

Waverly smiled slightly, but the circles under her eyes canceled out any false health that she was trying to convey. "I'm fine," she frowned, "Are you okay? Y-You look tired." 

Wynonna laughed a little, her heart hurting as she looked at her beloved sister. "I'm fine, Waverly. Seeing you awake, makes me so happy, you can't even believe it." 

Waverly was silent for a moment, looking around at the hospital rooms, noticing all the tubes sticking out of her body, the IV, the beeping machines. "I'm sorry."

"What?" 

"I'm sorry I'm dying. It's not fair to you," Waverly said, not looking at Wynonna. 

"Waverly. How on earth could this be your fault? If it's not fair to anyone, then it's unfair to you! It's your life, Waves." Wynonna said, a few tears shining on her cheeks. 

Waverly shook her head, "I-I don't want to d-die, 'Nonna. I'm scared. I'm s-so scared." 

"I know, babygirl, I know. It's okay that you're scared. Of course you're scared. Hell, I'm scared. But, I swear to fucking god, we will do everything in our power, to make sure that you are okay." Wynonna said, her face damp and flushed. 

"I-I love you. I love y-you so much," Waverly coughed into her hand, wincing as her body jerked. 

"Shh.. Careful, careful, Waves." Wynonna said, putting a hand on Waverly's. "I love you too."

"I kn-know." Waverly attempted a weak smile, but she winced again. 

"Hey, hey whats wrong? Do you need me to get a nurse?" Wynonna stood, concerned. 

"No, n-no, I'm f-fine." Waverly croaked, wincing. 

"Waves, you're obviously not fine." 

"I-Im sorry. It h-hurts. It hurts s-so much." Waverly cried, groaning. Her off color skin was shining with sweat, and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. 

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay." Wynonna said, panicking a little, jamming her finger onto the nurse call button. "It's alright, Waves, just breath. Breath, a nurse is coming, they're coming." 

Waverly was writhing in pain, unable to stay still, unable to bear the pain anymore. She screamed an agonizing scream, tears streaming down her face. "IT HURTS! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP 'NONNA, MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!" 

"I'm sorry, babygirl, I'm so sorry! Breath, breath!" Wynonna cried, hysterically. "Breath, babygirl, it's going to be okay!" At this point, a nurse had entered the room, and has filling a syringe. 

"'Nonna, I'm scared! I'm scared, 'Nonna!" Waverly screamed. 

"I know you are, honey, I know you are. It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay!" Wynonna tried to calm herself, trying to stay strong for Waverly's sake. The nurse came to Waverly's side. 

"Waverly, I need you to try and hold still for me, okay?" the nurse coaxed, in a soothing voice. Waverly nodded, tensing and trying to hold herself as still as possible. "Good job, good job. You're going to feel a little pinch, but then you're going to fall asleep, and it won't hurt anymore, alright?" the nurse stuck the needle into Waverly's arm, and Waverly went limp, her eyelids growing heavy, and closing. 

Wynonna let out a long breath, letting the tears she had been holding back spill over. "Wynonna? What's going on?" Nicole stood in the doorway, with an armful blankets. "What's wrong?" Nicole asked, alarmed at Wynonna's tears streaked face. 

"We need to find her a cure." Wynonna said through gritted teeth. 

"Dolls and Jeremy said they shouldn't give her the cure yet." 

"Nicole, she needs it  _now._ I don't think she'll last much longer." Wynonna said seriously, looking at her sister's still form. 

Nicole was silent for a moment. "What if it makes things worse?" 

"I don't think things can be worse." Wynonna said. 

☆☆☆☆☆

"Wynonna, I don't think that's the best idea. We don't want to put Waverly's life in danger." Dolls said.

"Waverly's life is already in danger!" Wynonna shouted angrily. "She is dying! There is nothing the hospital can do for her! We are her only chance!" 

"But is it worth trying? What if it makes her worse?" Doc asked. 

"You didn't see her today! It was worse that I've ever seen her! She was in so much pain, and kept yelling for me, and I can't see her like this anymore!" 

Dolls looked at Nicole, who had been quiet the whole time. "Nicole? What do you think?" 

Nicole paused for a moment, thinking. "Let's do it. It's her only chance. So we have to take it."  

And so it was decided. 

As the group stood in Waverly's room, Dolls holding a syringe full of green antidote in his hand. Waverly was unconscious, still sedated from earlier that day. The group stood in silence, watching Waverly. Her skin was off color, so pale that it was almost translucent. Her lips were dry, cracked and bleeding. The cuts on her face were healing, stitches holding some together. Her cheekbones protruded from face unnaturally. A few of the tubes had been removed from her body, but most of her skin was covered with bandages, and her right arm was in a plaster cast.  

"Who should..." Jeremy started and trailed off. Wynonna and Nicole looked at each other. 

"You can do it," Nicole murmured. 

Wynonna was quiet. "No. We do it together," she said. Nicole nodded, looking at Wynonna. Wynonna took the syringe from Dolls, and sat by Waverly, pulling up her sleeve. "Okay Waves. Okay. This is going to make you feel better, okay?" Wynonna said to her sister, resting her hand on Waverly's. Nicole sat next to Wynonna, looking at her girlfriend. 

"Okay Earp. Let's do it," Wynonna held the syringe in her shaking hand, raising it to Waverly's arm. Nicole put a tentative hand on Wynonna's shoulder. "Okay. On three. One. Two. Three." 

☆☆☆☆☆

When Waverly opened her eyes, they first thing she saw was the white tile of the ceiling. She lifted her head, noticing how her head felt lighter than usual. Everything was fuzzy, but she was less in pain, but more numb. "'Nonna?" she murmured, her eyes landing on her sister and girlfriend asleep in two separate chairs. "Nic?" the two didn't wake up, "Nicole?" she said a little louder, her throat burning. 

Nicole stirred, looking up sleepily. When she saw Waverly was awake, she sat up. "Waves! Hey baby, how are you feeling?" 

Waverly frowned, "I actually.. M-Mostly tired, numb, but it d-doesn't hurt as bad." 

Nicole smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing Waverly had ever seen. "I'm so glad,"

"How is that p-possible?" Waverly asked. 

"An antidote. We found one. Well, sort of." Nicole said. 

"Sort of?" Waverly frowned. 

"It's not perfected. It'll slow down the poison, and mute some of the symptoms," Nicole explained. 

"Thank you," Waverly smiled slightly. 

"I didn't do anything, baby, it was Dolls and Jeremy," Nicole said. 

"W-Well still, thank you. For being you. For being with me. Always." 

Nicole grinned, placing a gentle kiss on Waverly's forehead. "I love you," 

"I love you too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took me a while to write. I've been busy, and lacking motivation.

_"Well, my pet, you are really are incredible," the man said, leaning against the back of the chair Waverly was handcuffed to. Waverly didn't answer. She had no idea how long she had been held captive, but she had grown so weak, that she couldn't even lift her head._ _Wynonna and Nicole had come for her. They hadn't given up on her, they came. But now they were being held prisoner too, and it was all Waverly's fault. "Now, we have a special surprise for you today." he snapped his fingers, and a man in a lab coat came to his side, holding a large syringe with a giant needle. The syringe was full of thick, white liquid, and Waverly recoiled as he neared her. "I won't lie to you, this_ will _hurt," the man said, "But the results will be well worth it."_

_"Get away from me," Waverly murmured, her throat burning with the effort. The man in the lab coat was cleaning the needle, and Waverly struggled against the shackles holding to the chair._

_"This will hurt a lot less if you stop struggling, my dear,"_

_"Don't. Call. Me. That." Waverly grunted through gritted teeth._

_Before Waverly knew what was happening, the man's fist came slamming into her jaw, and the pain shot through her face, spreading through her entire head. She tasted the metallic dull blood filling her mouth. "I will call you, whatever I want. You are mine. You belong for me," Waverly couldn't bring herself to respond, her vision filling with dark storm clouds, a bruise already forming on her jaw.  The man in the lab coat kneeled next to her, rolling up her sleeve. She felt a sharp pain in her arm, that quickly spread through, and felt her mouth opening, and heard a scream echoing through the room, that must have been hers, and everything hurt. Someone was saying her name, "Waverly," but she couldn't see them, because her eyelids were to heavy to open, "Waverly," she tried to open her mouth to yell for help, but then she realized that she was already screaming, "Waves," please, someone help her, please, someone come, someone please, "Waverly!"_

"Waverly?" Waverly struggled to open her eyes, feeling groggy and heavy. "Waves, baby, can you hear me?" She squinted, seeing Nicole leaning over her. The light of the hospital room shone behind her, making her hair glow slightly, making her look like an angel. Waverly smiled slightly at the sight of her wonderful girlfriend. "Hey," Nicole said, a grin spreading across her face. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," Waverly said, trying to reposition herself so she was sitting up. "I-It actually doesn't hurt that much," Waverly smiled. 

"God, you're beautiful," Nicole said, gazing lovingly at her girlfriend, "I've missed you so much." 

"I missed you too," Waverly said, "I was so scared without you," 

"I know baby, I know. But you're okay now," Nicole assured her, her concern for her girlfriend making a reappearance at the thought of Waverly scared and alone. Waverly nodded, sitting up. "Careful Waves, I don't want you to hurt yourself," 

"I won't. I've just needed to do this for a while now," Waverly said. 

"What do you-" Nicole was cut off, by Waverly reaching up and putting a hand on the back of her neck, guiding Nicole down to her, and kissing her. Nicole hadn't realized how much she had missed Waverly, missed Waverly's touch, missed Waverly's lips on hers, until this moment. Nicole smiled against Waverly's lips, tangling her fingers in Waverly's hair, leaning into her kiss. Waverly's had one hand behind Nicole's neck, and the other on her back, pulling her closer, because she had  _needed_ this, she had  _needed_ Nicole. The kiss was both gentle, but desperate. Nicole could feel Waverly's breathing tube bumping her face slightly, but she didn't mind, because every breath, every touch was another reminder that Waverly was here with her, alive, and aware.

"Erm, I came here to deliver coffee, not to witness literal porn." Wynonna said from the doorway. Nicole pulled away from Waverly, her face flushing. Waverly leaned back onto her bed, sighing. "Besides, not that I don't appreciate your stamina Waves, but you should probably refrain from the touchy touchy kissy kissy, yeah?" 

"'Nonna.." Waverly sighed, although a small smile played on her lips. Wynonna handed Nicole a take out cup of coffee. 

"So, how are you feeling Waves?" Wynonna asked, her tone softening as she neared Waverly's beside. 

"I'm al-alright," Waverly shrugged. 

"Are you sure?" 

"I'm sure, 'Nonna," Waverly said. 

"Good," Waverly was silent for a moment, obviously thinking hard. "What's going on in your mind babygirl?" 

"I-I've been thinking.. I know that I'm not cured.. I know that I'm still.. I'm still dying. But, I just wish.. I was wondering.. I was wondering if I could go home?" Waverly stammered, face slightly red. 

Wynonna and Nicole didn't know what to say. Nicole glanced up at Wynonna, who just looked back, unsure. "We'd have to ask the doctors, Waves," Nicole said, "You're still weak, baby," 

"I know, I know, b-but we could get a wheelchair, and we could come back for the hospital a few times a week, and I'd rest, and I-If I'm dying, I-I want to be home, I w-want to be with you guys," Waverly said, a few tears rolling down her gaunt cheeks. 

"Shh, shh, babygirl, it's okay. It's alright. We'll talk to the doctors, okay? We'll see what we can do, alright?" Wynonna said, rushing to comfort her sister. 

Waverly nodded, her breathing shallow. As Nicole headed towards the door to get a doctor, suddenly things went dark and she was back in that room. She could feel the rough rope chaffing against her wrists, pinching her skin, drawing blood. Her throat stung, and her mouth was dry, but most prevalent was the paralyzing fear. The fear that lodged itself between her ribs, in her lungs, that turned her limbs to stone. Waverly gasped for air, feeling the claws of terror grabbing her throat, cutting the air off from the rest of her body. 

"Waves?" Waverly's head snapped up, her eyes wide with panic. "You okay?" Wynonna frowned. 

"Yeah. Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Waverly said, breathing hard. 

"You sure?" 

"I'm s-sure, 'Nonna," Waverly managed a shaky smile. Wynonna took one more long look at her sister, before nodding. 

"We'll be right back," 

"I know, 'Nonna," Wynonna gave her sister a slight squeeze on the arm, before turning, and leaving the room. As she watched her older sister leave, Waverly could feel those tendrils of fear lurking, hiding, in every corner of the room. 

☆☆☆☆☆

"I worry that this will worsen Waverly's condition," the doctor shook her head. 

"Please, is there anyway we can make it work? She can be in a wheelchair, we'll make sure she takes her medicine, we'll pay the bills to get an oxygen machine, whatever, we'll bring her into the hospital as many times a week as necessary, as long as she can be home." Nicole said desperately. 

"She's been doing better," Wynonna added, "She's stronger, she hasn't had any episodes recently, ask her, she says she isn't feeling as much pain!" 

"Being home will lessen her stress, which will make her heal faster," 

The doctor sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I suppose it might work. We will run you through what to do in different situations, and Waverly will be under many restrictions."

Nicole let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't imagine having to break anymore bad news to Waverly. "Okay. Okay. We'll do anything. Anything." 

"Alright. We will work on preparing for your departure. My guess would be that you will be ready to leave by mid afternoon tomorrow." 

☆☆☆☆☆

Waverly was asleep when Nicole and Wynonna returned to her room. She was so still that it caused Wynonna to pause, to hold her breath as she watched Waverly closely, only breathing once again when she saw the gentle rise and fall of her sister's chest. In this moment, Wynonna felt her heartache for her baby sister. No one should have to go through something like this. Being kidnapped and tortured was not what Waverly should have to worry about. Waverly should be in college, or doing something normal, something safe, god dammit. But Waverly's life had always been unfair. She had a father that had hated her. Wynonna used to think it hadn't been that bad, but now, looking back, she realized that her father hadn't just been a little forgetful. He had been downright abusive and neglectful. Poor, sweet, baby Waverly. So innocent and young, had grown up in an environment where she learned that she wasn't worthy of her father's love. 

That is, her adopted father. Because Waverly was different. Waverly wasn't completely human. And Wynonna's daddy had known this. There was no doubt in her mind, that he knew this, and he had hated Waverly for it. Waverly had one big sister who was cruel, and another sister who didn't protect her like she should. At a young age, Waverly experienced a trauma that no child should have to experience. Half her family was killed in one night, and then her remaining sister left her. 

No, nothing in Waverly's life had been fair. Nothing. But Wynonna would be damned if she didn't make the rest of Waverly's life as comfortable and happy as humanly possible. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please, please, leave feedback, it helps me a ton.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly comes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I've had seemingly perpetual writers block lately.

"We're home, Waves," Nicole smiled, as she stepped out of Wynonna's truck, breathing in the brisk air.  Wynonna came around the side of the truck, opening the door for Waverly. Nicole grabbed the wheelchair from the back of the truck and brought it around to Waverly. Wynonna helped Waverly into the wheelchair, feeling her slight frame under her hands, feeling as though Wynonna might accidentally break her sister by holding her too tight. Waverly sat in the wheelchair, breathless from the slight movement. She was so skinny, that her clothes that fit her about 2 weeks ago, looked at least 6 sizes to big for her. Waverly smiled slightly at the sight of the homestead, although the dark shadows under her sunken in eyes were swallowed the brightness of her smile, reminding Nicole of her sickness, of her fragility. 

Wynonna started wheeling Waverly and her oxygen tank towards the house, while Nicole grabbed the rest of the stuff they had transported from the hospital. As they entered the house, Waverly took a deep breath in, savoring the smell of home. Tears pooled in Waverly's beautiful eyes. Nicole must've noticed, because she frowned, "Waves? You okay?" 

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She said, her voice wavering slightly. 

"Let's get you up to your room," Wynonna said, putting a hand on Waverly's shoulder.

_"Okay, my darling, hold still, or this will hurt even more than it has to," the man breathed down Waverly's neck, clamping his hand on her shoulder, his nails digging into her bare skin. In his other hand, he was holding what looked like a fire poker, the tip red hot. Waverly barely had the strength to resist, but never the less, she pulled against the ropes, the skin around her wrists already raw and swollen from the past few days of torture. Suddenly, he shoved the poker against her rib cage, and the pain was literally blinding. A scream ripped itself from Waverly's throat. The pain was not only in the place where he had pressed the poker against her pale skin, but in her entire body. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest, her head felt like it was going to explode, her entire body was both screaming in pain, but also numb._

_However, there was something else, other than the immense pain. Something, almost like fire, tickling the inside of her chest, but the fire wasn't hot, it was soft. Waverly was vaguely aware of a sort of tingling in her head, and the man staring at her in the corner of her vision. He was saying something, caressing her cheek, admiring his pet. Waverly screamed and screamed, and the fire was going to burst out of her chest and everything hurt and she was so, so scared, and-_

"Waverly?" Nicole was saying, "Waves, please, answer me, what's wrong," 

Waverly's head snapped up, her eyes wide, breathing hard, her whole body shaking. She couldn't form words, the pain still radiating through her body. "Baby girl? Can you hear me?" Wynonna was crouched beside her, the fear evident in her eyes. Waverly nodded slowly, her vision slightly cloudy. "Okay, we're going to get you to your room, alright?" Waverly nodded again. Nicole slowly and careful lifted Waverly out of her wheelchair, carrying her up the stairs. Wynonna followed, carrying her wheelchair and oxygen tank. 

As Nicole carried her girlfriend, she could feel Waverly lean into her chest, and felt her warm breath on her neck. She gently laid her down in her bed. "Covers?" she asked. Waverly nodded numbly. Nicole smiled slightly as she tucked Waverly in. Waverly didn't meet her eyes, but instead stared at the ceiling, shadows lurking under her eyes, gaze haunted. Wynonna set the oxygen tank next to Waverly's bed, and helped Waverly settle the breathing tube around her nose. Waverly took a deep breath in, feeling the air tickle the inside of her nose. 

"Okay, baby girl, try to get some rest." Wynonna said, "We'll be right downstairs." 

Nicole leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Waverly's forehead, "I love you. Sleep well," Waverly nodded in acknowledgment. 

As Wynonna and Nicole neared the door, a weak voice stopped them, "W-Will someone stay?" 

Nicole and Wynonna stopped and glanced at each other. After a moment, Wynonna said, "I'll stay. You go shower, get some rest, eat some food," 

"Wyn, are you-" 

"Just go, Haught, fucking hell," Wynonna rolled her eyes. Nicole nodded, took one last look at her girlfriend, and left the room. Wynonna came back over to Waverly's bedside, and sat down in the arm chair next to it. They sat in silence, Waverly staring at the ceiling, Wynonna watching her sister, and playing with her jacket's zipper. 

_"You're not normal, Waverly Earp," the man hissed, in her ear._

_"Who the hell are you people? What do you want with me?" Waverly growled. She had just woken up, strapped to a metal chair in a dark room. The last thing she remembered, was being attacked outside the restaurant._

_"You've never been normal. You were born, special."_

_"You know nothing about me," Waverly spat._

_"Oh, Waverly. We know you better than you know yourself."_

 

"Can I.." Waverly paused, coughing slightly, "Can I s-see the file?" 

"What?" 

"Can I see the file they h-had on me? Th-They showed me some of the pictures but I was too.. I didn't get a good look at it."

"Waves, are you sure? I don't want to upset you," 

"'Nonna, I'm dying. I'm not sure it's possible for me to be anymore upset," Waverly said, her weak voice suddenly harsh. Wynonna drew back slightly, rattled by her sisters sudden outburst. She looked at the floor, not wanting to meet Waverly's eyes. 

"Wave-" 

"No, sorry, sorry, I-I'm sorry 'Nonna, I'm sorry, that wasn't fair." Waverly stammered, "I-I'm just so scared. I-I don't want to.." 

"It's okay. It's okay babygirl. You don't need to apologize." Wynonna said, swallowing hard. 

"I-I just, I have these flashes, where suddenly I'm not h-here anymore, and I-I'm there, and w-with  _him_ ," 

"Him?" Wynonna asked. Waverly didn't answer. She looked down at her dry, cracked hands, playing with her fingers. Her eyes struck Wynonna hard. They were so scared, so haunted, so.. so not like  _Waverly._ There was suddenly a deep hatred in the pit of Wynonna's stomach, a hatred for the man who had done this to her baby sister. Her beautiful, sweet, sister, who deserved so much better. Who deserved the best. He had hurt her, scared her, poisoned her, and god knows what else. "Yes. Of course you cane see the file. I'm just worried. That's all." Waverly nodded. Wnonna knew that Waverly wouldn't be talking for a while now. She shouldn't have pried. "Try to get some sleep babygirl. I'll be right here. I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! Reviews always welcome.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna witnesses something strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is a bit of a short chapter. I've been super busy lately, and haven't had time to update.

Waverly slowly thumbed through the file, her eyes scanning each and every photograph of herself. The hairs on her arm stood up as she gazed at a picture of her.. of her adopted father,  holding a young Waverly by the arm. 

_"Daddy, where's 'Nonna?" six year old Waverly asked, as he pulled her along._

_"How the hell would I know?" Ward Earp grunted, digging his nails into her arm._ _Waverly fell silent. She may have been young, but she wasn't stupid. She knew not to bother her father when he had been drinking, and right now, he reeked of whiskey._

_The two were walking towards the family truck, when Waverly spoke up again, "Daddy, what's a bastard?"_

_"What?" Ward growled, stopping, "What did you say?"_

_"Anbig kid called me a bastard today. The teacher got mad at him and he got in trouble. What's a bastard?"_

_At this, Ward grabbed Waverly by the hair, and slapping her across the face, splitting her lip. Waverly cried out, taste blood in her mouth. "You don't say that word. You don't ask question like that. Got it?" Waverly nodded, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "Good. Now, get in the goddamn car."  
_

"Waverly?" Wynonna asked, as she stared at the picture over Waverly's shoulder. "When was this?" 

"I was six," Waverly murmured. She could almost still taste the dull blood in her mouth. "Daddy picked me up from school." 

"He didn't usually do that. Didn't I usually pick you up?" 

"You didn't, not that day,"

"You remember that day specifically? Did something happen?" Wynonna frowned. Waverly looked down, hot tears welling in her eyes. "Waverly, look at me." Waverly lifted her head slightly, meeting Wynonna's eyes. "Did he.. Did he hurt you?" 

Waverly wiped the tears from her eyes, "It was just.. He had been drinking," At this, Wynonna put her head in her hands, gritting her teeth. "Wynonna.. Please don't-" 

"Don't  _what_ Waverly? Don't feel guilty for letting my father abuse my baby sister under my nose for years? Don't get angry at Daddy for being a monster? What else am I supposed to do?" Wynonna yelled, standing up suddenly. 

Waverly squeezed her eyes shut for a second, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "'Nonna, there was nothing you could have done. You were a child." 

"Yeah, well so were you, Waverly. You were a goddamn kid, and didn't deserve this." 

"What a profound realization! Of course, I didn't fucking deserve it! I'm not that fucked up in the head.  _Daddy_ was a piece of shit. Hell, he wasn't even my father! He was just a man. A man who took his anger out on a little halfbreed kid who didn't do anything, except exist!" Waverly shouted, her voice cracking. 

"And it's my fault! I should've done something! I should've stopped him, I should've told the sheriff, I should-" 

"Would you stop with the heroics?" Waverly screamed. Wynonna fell silent, surprised by the sudden outburst. "Not everything is your fault! The world does not revolve around you! Sometimes, shitty things happen, and that's just life. You can't just shoot with your fucking glowing gun and fix everything!"

"Waverly, calm down," 

"No! I will not  _calm down_!"

"Waverly, please," 

"I'm tired of you being so sorry for yourself all the time! No one is blaming you for anything, Wynonna, except for yourself."

"Waverly, please!" Wynonna cried. Her eyes were wide, and she looked almost afraid. Waverly fell quiet, frowning. "Babygirl? Are you okay?" Waverly seemed confused. She looked down at herself, still completely silent. Wynonna slowly came closer to the bedside, "Waves? Can you answer me?" 

"W-What.." Waverly muttered, putting a hand on her stomach, and then her chest, as though she was searching for something. 

"Waves. You're scaring me," Wynonna said, nervously. 

"I-I.. I just.. I felt strange." 

"Strange?" 

"Y-Yeah. I was angry, and then.. I felt so weird. Like something I should be doing, or something I used to do.. And my chest.." 

"Did it hurt?" 

"N-No.. Not hurt.. It just.. Itched.. Burned a little.." Waverly murmured. 

"Waverly, you should try to sleep. I think you're just tired." 

"N-No.. I'm not tired, th-that's not it.." Waverly said, but even as she said this, her eyelids were growing heavy.

"Shh.. Just try to sleep. I'll be right here." Waverly nodded slightly and shut her eyes. Within seconds, she was asleep.

☆☆☆☆☆

"I swear to god, Haught, her eyes.. They were.. They were dark." 

"They were dark?" Nicole frowned. 

"Yes, Haught, they were fucking black. All black. As in no pupils, no whites, nothing." 

Nicole seemed to pale, "What were you talking about?" 

"We were.. We were arguing. She was angry because she could tell I felt guilty. We were talking about Daddy.. She was yelling." 

"Have you looked at the file?" 

" _Have I looked at the file?_ No, I haven't looked at the file! My sister's eyes started fucking glowing, she fell asleep, and I came down here to tell you!" Wynonna yelled. 

"Okay, okay, Wynonna, calm down. I'll go grab the file." Wynonna listened to Nicole's footsteps disappear upstairs as she took some deep breaths, and then Nicole was back. "Okay, here, let's look." Nicole flipped through the file, stopping after the pictures, at the profile. "Here. Wyn, it says her eyes are silver or black 'when provoked'." 

"What the hell does that mean? When provoked?" 

"Here, it says that 'it is possible that the color of the subject's eyes correlates with which part of subject's identities are being accessed in moment. When subject becomes overly angry, or upset eyes turn black. When subject is severely scared, or sad, eyes often turn silver. It is possible that the side of the subject identified as an 'angel' is being accessed when eyes are silver, and 'demon' when eyes are black'" 

"So, you're telling me, when my baby sister was upset upstairs just now, and her eyes turned black, she was accessing her demon powers?" 

"I'm not telling you this, it's just what the file said!" Nicole said, frustrated. 

"Whatever. Either way, it's fucking bull." 

"Wynonna, your'e willing to believe that your sister is half demon, and part angel, but you're not willing believe that sometimes she taps into the powers that are part of that deal?" 

"No! Sure, she was upset, but she wasn't tapping into her fucking demon powers!" 

"Earp, imagine how confused she is right now! How scared! She just learned that she isn't human! It makes sense that she's having trouble controlling herself! It's our job to make sure she stays safe!" 

"Waverly would never hurt anyone!" 

"Of course she wouldn't! I never fucking said she would!" Nicole yelled. Wynonna fell silent, resting her head in her hands. Nicole sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. 

"Sorry," Wynonna grunted. "I just... I just want my baby girl to be okay. To be safe. It is just.. I don't like to think of her becoming so angry that her eyes turn black." 

"I know. It's okay." Nicole sighed.

"We need to find these bastards, Haught. We need to find them, and make them pay for what they did to our girl." Wynonna's hand subconsciously traveled to Peacemaker at her side. 

"I know. We will." Nicole said, clenching her fists, thinking about how much she would like to punch the men who hurt Waverly in the face. 

"That man. The one she talked about. The one that made her look more scared than I had ever seen her look before. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him." 

Nicole nodded solemnly, her face shadowy, and creased with anger. She wasn't going to stop there. She was going to kill each and every person that worked in that lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! I'll update as soon as possible.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parts of this are heartbreaking, parts of this are really sweet, and parts of this are frustrating, but I hope you all like it!

"So, when I get angry, or scared, or whatever, I access my.. my  _powers_?" Waverly frowned. 

Nicole sighed. "That's what the file says." 

"We need to go back to that place," Wynonna muttered as she paced back and forth through Waverly's room. "We need to find those people," Nicole noticed how Waverly tensed, as Wynonna mentioned the place she had been held hostage in. 

"You're right, Earp. We have to find them." Nicole said, watching Waverly, watching the way she held herself, as though she was trying to protect herself from her own mind. 

"I'll call Dolls," Wynonna said, leaving the room. 

"Waves.. Can you tell me anything about the man you mentioned earlier? What he looked like? Anything?" Nicole coaxed. 

Waverly stiffened, her hands curling into fists, nails biting into the skin of her palms. "He smelled like Daddy did." 

"What?" Nicole asked, her head snapping up. 

"He was always the one who ordered people around. Who ordered people to.. To hurt me. He called me things.. I think he thought of me as his property. But he also thought that.. That he understood me, and that he was helping me." Waverly was trembling slightly, and her skin was an odd shade of off white. 

"Waves.. I'm sorry," 

"Not you too." 

"What?" 

"You don't get to blame yourself. That's why Wynonna's here. To blame herself. I need you to know this isn't in any way your fault," Waverly said. 

"I know, sweetie, I know, I just worry. You know that. I'm sorry. I wish I could protect you from everything." 

"I know, baby. That's why I love you," Waverly whispered, placing a gentle hand on Nicole's. 

"Waves, can I.. Could I..." Nicole said awkwardly, reaching a tentative hand towards Waverly's cheek. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Waverly had already reached up to place a hand on Nicole's cheek, pulling her in closer, and planting a light kiss on her lips. 

"I love you, Nic. I'm sorry I can't be more for you right now," Waverly murmured as she pulled away. 

"Oh, Waverly. You are everything for me," Nicole said, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you so much,"

"I love you too," Waverly smiled slightly, but Nicole could tell something was off. 

"What's wrong?" she frowned. 

"I-I'm fine," Waverly shrugged, but she winced slightly as she said it. 

"Liar. What's wrong? Are you in pain? Do you need some of the pills the hospital gave us?" 

"Nicky, c-calm down, please," Waverly said, shivering a little. "I'm just feeling a little weak, that's all," 

"You're not in pain?" 

"Well.." 

"Waves-"

"Yeah, y-yeah, it hurts." 

"Where does it hurt?" Nicole said, leaning in, trying to reach her girlfriend through all the pain swirling in her eyes. 

"E-Everywhere. In my ch-chest, in my stomach, in my head, everywhere," 

"Okay, baby, alright, I'm getting your painkillers," Nicole stood, grabbing the pills from off the dresser, and a glass of water. 

"W-Will they make me sleep? I-I want to stay with you. I don't want to sleep, Nicky, I don't want to sleep!" Waverly panicked. Nicole noticed that Waverly's eyes were slightly tinted silver. 

"Calm down baby, calm down. These will make the pain go away," Nicole said, desperately trying to calm her down. 

"No, Nicky, you don't understand, I can't go to sleep, when I go to sleep I'm back there, I'm back with  _him_ , I can't go back there, Nicole, I can't! Stay with me, please, stay with me!" Waverly was crying, and her eyes were a bright shade of silver. 

"Shh, shh, Waverly, I need you to calm down. I'm going to be right here. I'm not going anywhere, but you need to sleep, or you won't get better." 

"Please, don't leave me!" Waverly stammered, her words slurring slightly, as if she were falling asleep. 

"I'm not going to leave you, Waves, I'd never leave you. Never. But I need you to take these pills. I promise you, I will be here when you wake up. No one will hurt you. You're safe," Nicole coaxed. 

"A-Alright," Waverly nodded, trembling a little, reaching out and taking a pill and the glass of water from Nicole. She placed the pill on her tongue and swallowed. 

"Now, lie back, and close your eyes. I'll be right here, the whole time. I promise," Nicole smiled slightly, trying to mask her concern. 

"It h-hurts so bad, Nicky.. It hurts.." Waverly murmured, as her eyes closed, and she fell asleep. 

"I know honey.. I know.."  Nicole whispered, putting a hand on her sleeping girlfriends.

At this moment, Wynonna came back into the room. "He- oh. She fell asleep?" 

"She was in pain. I had her take the medicine. She was so scared to fall asleep. To dream.." Nicole said, looking at Waverly. 

Wynonna sighed, sitting down on the other side of Waverly's bed. "Dolls, Doc and Jeremy are coming over. We're going to keep looking through the file, and see if we can find a lead on whoever those bastards are." 

"Her eyes were silver." 

"What?" 

"She was so scared of falling asleep, and suddenly her eyes were this bright shade of silver."

Wynonna put her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. "I'm just so tired.. Tired of our lives being such a shit show." 

"We all are." 

"Fuck, Haught, I know." Wynonna groaned. 

"She said he smelled like your father." 

"What?" 

"Waverly said the man that tortured smelled like your father did." Wynonna was silent. "Wynonna? Does that mean anything to you?" 

"He was a drunk," Wynonna sighed. "He was a fucking useless drunk." 

There was the sound of the door opening downstairs, and Dolls voice called up the stairs, "Earp? You here?" 

"We'll be right down!" Wynonna yelled back. 

"I'm not leaving. I promised I'd be here if she woke up." Nicole said firmly. 

Wynonna paused for a moment before nodding, "Alright. Take care of her."

"Always." Wynonna nodded again, and went downstairs. 

"Dolls!" She said, "Do you have anything?" 

"Nothing solid, but there is an acronym on the front of the file, that presumably stands for whatever this organization this is." Dolls said, as Jeremy and Doc set up computers and spread out papers on the dining room table. 

"We also know the location of the establishment, which is an obvious lead." Jeremy added. 

"Well, let's go there then." Wynonna said. "Let's go back there and see if anyone's still there." 

"We'll have to be more adequately prepared than last time." Dolls said. 

"The game plan would be to enter the facility, and kidnap an employee, to bring back for questioning." Doc said.

Jeremy giggle, "That's so badass. Can I interrogate him? I want to shine a big light in his face an- sorry, sorry, I'll be quiet." 

"What was the acronym on the file?" Wynonna asked, sitting down at the table. 

"DAFSU," Jeremy says. "Whatever that means." 

"How's Waverly?" Dolls asked. 

Wynonna sighed. "She's scared, and struggling. We've seen her eyes change colors twice now. She doesn't seem to know it's happening. Sometimes, she's just like the normal Waverly, from before, but then other times, she's just a completely different person." 

"I do believe it is unfair to expect Ms. Waverly to go back to the way she once was. Naturally, she will be different, because she has been through a life changing experience," Doc said calmly. 

"Is Nicole with her now?" Dolls asked. 

"Yes. Waverly was in pain so Nicole had her take her medicine, but she was scared to fall asleep and Nicole promised she would be there when she woke up," Wynonna explained. 

"I see," Dolls nodded, "Well, for now, Jeremy, you work on finding information about DAFSU, Doc, Wynonna and I will go back to the place Waverly was held." 

"I'll go tell Nicole," Wynonna said, heading upstairs. As she neared the top of the stairs, she heard something. It was quiet, and soft, but it sounded like singing. She came closer to Waverly's door, and she could hear Nicole murmuring a song, under her breath. She couldn't quite make out the words, but it was a beautiful melody, and Nicole's voice wasn't perfect, it was hoarse, and cracked occasionally, but the love in it was so obvious, that Wynonna found herself tearing up slightly. She didn't open the door until Nicole's song had come to an end. She entered quietly, not wanting to disrupt the peace. "Hey, Haught." 

"Hey, Earp," Nicole smiled slightly. 

"Doc, Dolls and I are going back to where they had her. Our plan is to kidnap one of people working there and bring them back for questioning." Wynonna said. 

"You're going back?" Nicole frowned.

"You can come with us, we just figured you'd want to stay with Waves." 

"No, no, you're right. Someone needs to stay with her. She can't wake up by herself." 

"Alright. Well.. We're going. Jeremy's downstairs," Wynonna stood. 

"Give them hell, Earp." 

"Oh, dom't worry. Those bastards won't know what hit them." 

 

 

☆☆☆☆☆

"Nicole! Nicole, I think you'll want to come down here!" Nicole woke up to Jeremy yelling up the stairs. 

"I can't leave Waverly!" She called back. 

"We have one of them!" He yelled back. 

Nicole looked at Waverly, and realized to her surprise, that her girlfriends eyes were open. "Go," Waverly croaked. Nicole nodded, and stood, ready to confront one of the people who had hurt her girlfriend. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback always appreciated.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All sorts of stuff happens in this chapter. It's a wild ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys, I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I've been thinking about starting another story, a AU where Nicole and Waverly meet in elementary school. This would not mean that I would stop writing this story, but updates might take a little longer. Stay tuned for that - we'll see what happens. Now, enjoy the update!

The sound of skin hitting skin rang through the room. Nicole's palm stung, but she ignored it, "What did they want with her?" The man didn't answer. He stared at the ground, blood trickling down from his split lip. "What. Did. They. Want with her?" she yelled, and hit him again. 

"What do you think they wanted? To study her, of course." he muttered. 

"How did they discover her?" Dolls demanded, leaning on the dining room table. 

"I don't know," he sneered. 

"Bullshit," Wynonna barked. 

"They have people everywhere. One probably found your halfbreed and alerted the team." 

"Don't call her that," Wynonna growled, punching him in the face. 

"I'll call her whatever I want," he grinned. 

There was the sound of a chair being pushed over, and some scuffling, as Wynonna launched herself at the prisoner, and Dolls held her back, "Earp, no."  

"Don't speak about her like that again, or I'll fucking kill you." Wynonna said, as Dolls let go of her. 

"Where's the princess now? That is, if she's made it this long," he grinned. 

"What did they do to her?" Nicole demanded, her fists clenched. 

"Well, I assume you've realized that she's sick. That she isn't getting better." 

"WHAT DID THEY DO?" Wynonna yelled, slamming her fists on the table. 

"Just the standard poison. Once a subject becomes useless, or too dangerous, they are injected with a fatal poison." 

"And which was Waverly?" Doc drawled, coming closer. 

"If have no fucking idea." 

"What is the poison made out of?" Dolls said. 

"Why should I tell you?" 

"Wh-" Wynonna started to say something, but Dolls cut her off. 

"We're done. We're done for now, Earp." Wynonna grunted, frustrated, and started going up the stairs. As she walked down the upside the hallway up stairs, a soft voice reached her. 

"Wyn? Are you okay?" Waverly croaked from inside her room. 

Wynonna sighed, and came into her room. Her sister's room was dim, and Waverly herself, was sitting up in bed, under many blankets, and her hair was a wild mess framing her face. "I'm fine, Waves. Everything's fine." 

"Have you found anything out f-from him?" Waverly asked. 

"Not really. Bastard won't tell us anything interesting. We've been at it for hours." 

"We-well I'm glad you're taking a break." Waverly made an attempt at a smile. 

Wynonna came closer to Waverly, a weak smile on her face, "How are you so good?" she said, as she sweeped some of Waverly's hair out of her face. 

"I'm not that good, 'Nonna," Waverly shook her head. 

"Of course you are. Jesus, Waves, you're part angel."

"Yeah, well apparently I'm also part demon, so-" 

"That makes you even better! Waves, the fact that you are so good, and kind, despite the fact that your life has been so difficult, and you're literally half demon," Wynonna chuckled a little. 

Waverly was quiet for a while. "'Nonna, I want to take a shower. I feel gross." 

"Alright. I'm sure your Officer Haughtstuff can help you out there." 

"Also.. I want to go outside. I've been inside for, like, three weeks, other than trips to the hospital." 

"Sure, of course. We can take you for a walk, we'll push you in the wheelchair." 

"Can we go into town?" 

"Waves.." 

"Please? I just.. I feel so isolated, and lonely, and  _different._ I don't want to be different. I want to be normal, Wyonna, and even if I'm.. I want to live the happiest life I can, right now, you know?" 

Wynonna felt her heart breaking, as she looked at her sister, so small, and frail, and sad. "Okay, Waves. We can do that." Waverly tried to smile, but coughed, her whole body shaking. "You should try to get some more rest, babygirl. We can go tomorrow." Waverly was quiet. Wynonna noticed she was looking at her hand, "What's wrong? Waverly?" 

"'Nonna.." Waverly breathed, still staring at her eyes. Wynonna leaned over towards her sister, and saw what she was staring at. There was bright red blood splattered over Waverly's hands. 

"It's okay, babygirl, it's alright. Let's clean you up," Wynonna rushed to grab some tissues from Waverly's bedside table. "Here." Waverly remained still and silent as her sister wiped the blood off her hands. "Hey," she said, sitting on Waverly's bed, "Look at me. It's going to be alright." 

"That was blood, Wynonna. I just coughed up blood." 

"I know, Waves, I know," 

"Has th-this happened before?" 

Wynonna paused for a second before responding, " A few times. Do you not remember?"

"N-no. I don't." Waverly murmured. 

"Try to get some sleep. Wynonna said, kissing her sister on the forehead. "You'll feel better in the morning," but even as she said this, she doubted herself. Waverly nodded dazedly, before closing her eyes, and settling into her bed. Wynonna took one last look at her sister, before leaving the room, gently closing the door behind. She went into her own room, and sat down on her bed, holding her head in her hands, sighing deeply. She was trying so hard to be the best she could for Waverly, but she felt weak, and useless. She was so, so tired. She had barely slept since the day Waverly was taken. She wanted to comfort Waverly, to tell her everything was going to be okay, but she couldn't say that, not truthfully. She was so scared, and so helpless, and she hated it. 

"Wynonna?" A voice called from the door way. 

Wynonna looked up to see Nicole standing at her door, "What, Haught?" she grunted, wiping her eyes. 

"I just wanted you to check in on you." 

"Well, here I am, being checked in one. You done?" 

"Wynonna.." Nicole sighed softly, "How was Waverly?" 

"She was worried about me, of course. She wanted to know if we had found anything out from  _him_. She said she wants to shower - I volunteered you, Officer Haughtstuff, to help her out with that - and.. She said she wants to go outside. Into town." 

"Yeah? I guess that makes sense. She's bored. She's scared. She wants things to be as normal as possible, and going outside, and not being trapped in her room, would help with that," Nicole said, thinking out loud. 

"I said we'd take her in her wheelchair." 

"You don't seem very excited about this." 

"I just.. I don't want the fucking assholes of Purgatory to stare, to gossip, to hurt her." 

Nicole nodded thoughtfully, "You don't want her bubble to burst. She's as protected as she could be in her current situation and you don't want that to change." 

"Jesus, Haught, have you thought about changing career paths? Perhaps becoming a therapist?" 

Nicole rolled her eyes, "I'm serious, Wynonna. Waverly doesn't need to be so sheltered. It's something I've realized recently. She doesn't want to be treated like she's sick, even though she is. She wants to be treated like herself. Like Waverly." 

Wynonna nodded slowly, "Alright, Haughtie, thats enough emotional analysis for one day." 

Nicole smiled, "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." 

"Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Wynonna teased. 

"Goodnight Wynonna," Nicole said, and left the room. 

☆☆☆☆☆

"Okay, Waves," Nicole said, lifting her girlfriend out of the car, and setting her gently in her wheelchair. "Are you cold? Do you need a blanket? Let me know if you feel any pain, I brought medicine. Or if you need any water, or food, or if your oxygen tank is running lo-" 

"Nicky," Waverly smiled, "You don't have to worry. I'll tell you if I need anything." 

"Shorty's first, babygirl?" Wynonna said, as she came back from parking the car. 

"Yeah," Waverly said, "I want to see Gus." 

"Alright." Wynonna said, starting to push Waverly's wheelchair towards the restaurant. They struggled through the doors of Shorty's, and after lots of maneuvering and collisions, they finally entered the pub. Immediately, Gus was coming towards them, a smile on her face. 

"Waverly Earp. It's about time you visited me!" 

"Nice to see you too, Gus," Wynonna snorted. 

"Hi Gus," Waverly smiled weakly. 

"Let's get you girls a table." Gus lead them over to a booth, Wynonna pushing Waverly's wheelchair, Nicole pulling her oxygen tank. "Do you want some food? Some drinks?" 

"I'll just have some water," Waverly said. 

"I'll have some whiskey." Wynonna said, sliding into the booth. 

"I'll have some Diet Coke, thank you Gus," Nicole smiled at the kind woman. 

"Alright, one water, one Diet Coke, and one seltzer water," she said, looking pointedly at Wynonna as she finished, who rolled her eyes. As Gus left, Nicole stood. 

"I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be right back, baby," she said, kissing Waverly gently, on the lips, ignoring Wynonna's mock gagging. 

Wynonna and Waverly sat quietily for awhile. Waverly was very aware of all the staring and whispering going on around her. People thought they were hiding it, but they weren't. Everyone wanted to know what was going on with the youngest Earp. People had been asking questions since the young bartender stopped serving drinks at Shorty's a few weeks ago. They were used to seeing Waverly at the bar, greeting everyone with her bright smile, and cheery chatter. Rumors about the whereabouts of Waverly were all over town, but nobody truly knew what had happened. "Just ignore them," Wynonna said, "Nothing interesting happens to these assholes, so they have to focus on other people for entertainment." 

"It's fine, Wynonna," Waverly said, "They're just curious." 

"Well, it's none of their goddamn business." Wynonna said. Waverly sighed, taking a sip of the water Gus and brought her. Suddenly there was the sound of shattering glass from behind the bar counter. 

"Damn it," Gus cursed, looking down at the bottle of whiskey that was broken on the floor. 

"Wyn, go help her," Waverly hissed at her older sister, who rolled her eyes, and went to go help her aunt, leaving Waverly by herself. Waverly sat, fumbling with the bracelet on her wrist, staring at the table. 

"Waverly Earp. Back from the dead," a voice drawled from behind her. 

Waverly flinched slightly, startled, her dry hands trembling, "Ch-Champ." 

"What's wrong with you? You look like shit," the cowboy sat down in the booth across from her taking in the tube delivering oxygen to her nose, and the wheelchair. 

"Champ, I'd really rather not talk right now." 

"How's your police officer?" 

"Jesus, Champ. Get over it. I'm dating Nicole, we're d-done." 

"I'm just asking a simple question, you don't have to be so touchy." 

"I think you should l-leave." 

" _I_ think, you don't get to tell me what to do." 

"I-I don't have anything else to say to you." 

"Your little dyke of a girlfriend obviously isn't protecting you well enough," he sneered, "Look at you." 

"Excuse me?" Waverly demanded, raising her voice, her eyes clouding with a cool black mist, "You don't get to talk about her like that, Champ Hardy!" 

"Baby girl? What's wrong?" Wynonna's voice called from somewhere behind her. 

"I can talk about her however I want!"

"Shut up!" Waverly yelled. 

Champ grabbed Waverly's arm roughly, anger in his eyes, "Don't  _ever_ yell at me." 

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing, Hardy?" Wynonna yelled, grabbing Champ, and shoving him away from Waverly. 

"Waverly? Are you okay? What's going on?" Nicole came running to Waverly's side, her eyes widening as she saw Wynonna confronting Champ. 

"I-I, h-he-, I-I'm s-sorry, h-" stammered Waverly, her whole body trembling. 

"Whoa, whoa, Waverly, calm down, it's okay. Breath, breath," Nicole coaxed. "Hey, hey, Waverly, come back to me, I'm right here. Stay here with me. You're okay." Waverly struggled to calm herself, taking deep, shuttering breaths. "There, there, that's better. Breath."

"S-sorry," Waverly breathed, sinking back into her chair, her eyes slowly returning to their natural color. 

"You have nothing to apologize for. That bastard won't talk to you again, promise," Nicole said, stroking Waverly's hair, kissing her on the forehead. 

"Waves? You alright?" Wynonna asked as she came back over. 

"I-I'm fine. Thanks 'Nonna." 

"He won't bother you again," Wynonna said confidently, rubbing her knuckles.

"Can w-we leave?" 

"Of course," Nicole said, "Is there anywhere else you want to go, or do you want to go home?" 

Waverly paused for a moment before looking over at her sister, "Could we visit Daddy? And Willa?" she whispered. 

Wynonna looked surprised at this suggestion, "Waves, are you sure?" 

"Yes." 

"Alright. Of course. Let's go." 

☆☆☆☆☆

"Waves, I think I'm going to stay in the car. This seems like a family thing," Nicole said as the pulled up to the cemetery. 

"Nic, are you su-" 

"I'll be right here if you need me," Nicole said firmly. 

"Okay." Waverly nodded. 

Wynonna opened Waverly's door, helping her out, into her wheelchair, lying a blanket on her lap. "It's cold out here. We shouldn't stay outside for too long." 

"I'll be fine, Wynonna. Promise." The sisters approached the graves of their father and sister silently. As they stopped, Waverly could hear Wynonna's breathing shake, as she struggled to keep her pain hidden. "You can cry, 'Nonna. It's alright," she whispered. 

"I feel like a bad person, grieving them. After everything they did. They were awful people."

"Not to you. To you, they were family. You're allowed to be sad for them." Wynonna sat down in front of the grave, a few silent tears sliding down her face. She could hear Waverly's soft gasps, as she started to cry. Suddenly, Waverly was sitting on the ground next to her, leaning against her sister's shoulder. Wynonna wrapped her arms around her sister, holding her tight, feelin gher breath as a reminder that she was okay. 

"I love you so much, babygirl," Wynonna managed through her tears. 

"I love you too, 'Nonna," Waverly leaned into her sister, resting her head on her chest. The two remained like that for a long time, just sitting, crying a little, staring at the graves of their late family. 

"You're still my sister, you know. You've always been my sister, and you always will be my sister," Wynonna murmured. 

"I know. I know." 

☆☆☆☆☆

"Who was that?" Nicole asked as Wynonna hung up the phone. Something about the oldest Earp looked off. She looked pale, and worried. "Wynonna? What's wrong?" Wynonna sat down in an armchair, taking a swig from a bottle whiskey. "Wynonna?" 

"It was my mom." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? Thank you so much for reading. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole tries her best to take care of the Earp sisters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a short chapter, and doesn't have a lot of action, but I really wanted to have a calm, heartfelt chapter, with lots of feels. I guess it was just what I was feeling, and I hope y'all feel it too. Enjoy.

"Hey," Waverly smiled, looking up as Nicole walked into her room. 

"Hey," Nicole said, forcing a smile. 

"What's wrong?" 

"What? Nothing." 

"You're acting weird." 

"What are you talking about, Waves?" 

"Nicole, don't lie to me," Waverly said seriously, frowning. 

"I'm sorry, Waverly. You're right, something's off. I just don't know if it's my place to tell you," Nicole sighed, rubbing her forehead. After Wynonna had hung up the phone, she had started drinking and wouldn't talk to Nicole about the conversation she had just had. Now, Nicole didn't know what to do. She felt Waverly had a right to know what had happened, but she also felt it Waverly should hear it from Wynonna, not her. 

"Nic, please. You don't have to protect me. Just tell me what happened," Waverly said gently. 

"Waves.." 

"Nicole.. You know I hate when you lie to me. Just because I'm sick doesn't mean you-" 

"I know, baby, I know, I'm sorry," Nicole sighed, "It's your mom." 

"What?" Waverly's head snapped up, her eyes widening. 

"Well, your adopted mom. She called Wynonna, earlier." Waverly fell silent, and Nicole could see the girl's body tensing. She picked at her fingers anxiously, and Nicole noticed how her girlfriends fingers were cracked and covered in dried blood. "Hey, hey, Waves, don't do that." Nicole put her hands over Waverly, and immediately regretted it, as Waverly jerked her hands away, a small cry escaping her mouth. Waverly realized what she had done, and covered her mouth with her hand, tears welling in her eyes, which were becoming lighter and metalic. "I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that." 

"No, i-it's my fault. I-I'm sorry, Nic, I-I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me," Waverly shook her head. 

"It is in no way your fault. You've done absolutely nothing wrong." 

"I-It's just, our mom hasn't been around since I was maybe four years old, and I guess she's not really my mom, but still, she just left me and Wyn, and Willa, with Daddy, and she knew what he was like, but she just  _left_ us." Waverly rambled. 

"I know, honey. I know. We'll figure this out. You don't have to see her if you don't want to." Waverly nodded, dazedly, her eyes turning back to their normal shade. "I love you so much Waverly. I hope you know that." 

"Will you kiss me?" 

"Are you sure?" 

"I'm sure," Waverly said. Nicole leaned in, and gently placed a kiss on Waverly's lips. Waverly put a hand on the back of Nicole's neck, pulling her in closer, kissing her harder. "I love you," she murmured. Nicole could feel Waverly's tears wetting her own face, but she didn't pull away, because having Waverly in her arms, feeling her hands in her hair, on her neck, on her arms, was something she craved, something she  _needed_ , constantly. 

"I love you so much," Nicole said, as the two finally separated. "Never leave me, baby, please, promise, never leave me." 

"I promise. I'll never leave you. I'm not going anywhere, ever." Waverly said. "Come sit with me," she asked, gesturing to the space next to her on the bed.

Nicole smiled, and slid onto the bed next to her. Waverly nestled close to Nicole, resting her head on Nicole's chest. "I love you," she murmured, as her eyelids drooped. 

"I love you too, baby. I love you too." 

☆☆☆☆☆

"What did she want?" Nicole demanded as she entered the kitchen, and faced Wynonna. 

"'Scuse me?" Wynonna slurred, taking another swig of her bottle of whiskey. 

"Your mom. What did she want?" 

"Who fucking knows," Wynonna groaned, rubbing her temples. 

"Wynonna." 

"She's coming to Purgatory." 

"What?" 

"She's coming to fucking Purgatory, Haught." 

"Why?" 

"I don't know, she finally decided to be a fucking mom?" Wynonna muttered. 

"When is she coming?" Nicole asked. 

"Within a week I think," Wynonna set down the now empty bottle of alcohol, with a disgruntled look on her face, and rose to get something else to drink. 

"I think you've had enough, Wynonna," Nicole stepped in front of Wynonna.

"Get out of my way, Haught." Wynonna growled.

"You need to rest. When you wake up you're going to have to talk to your sister. She's upset." Nicole helped Wynonna onto the couch. 

"I don't know how to protect her, Haught. I don't know what to do." 

"I know, Wynonna. I know. It'll be alright." 

"I don't want my sister to die." Wynonna murmured, her face blank. 

"She won't," Nicole said fiercely. "She'll be alright." 

"But we don't know that." 

"Well, then, it's our job to give her the most comfortable life we can. No matter how long she had left," Nicole said, through the lump in her throat. 

"Don't say that," Wynonna sighed, as she lay down on the couch. 

"Goodnight, Wynonna," Nicole gently lay a blanket over Wynonna, as the Earp closed her eyes. 

"Fuck off, Haught," Wynonna slurred, before falling asleep. 

Nicole Haught sighed, as she watched the sleeping woman. It seemed she had two Earps to take care of now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! I had a great time writing these bittersweet moments between the Earp sisters and Officer Haught. While you're waiting for the next update, feel free to check out my other story, The Thing I Want To Do Most. I really like it, and I hope you guys do to. Feedback always appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle Earp returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally updating this work! Sorry for the delay!

"When is she coming?" Waverly murmured, unable to look her sister in the eyes. 

"Any day now. She said she would be here as soon as possible," Wynonna said, pacing the room. 

"Does she know? About me?" 

"No," Wynonna sighed. The sisters settled into tense silence, the only sound being the wood floors creaking under Wynonna's leather boots. 

"Why now? Why does she have to reach out now, of all times?" Waverly asked, tears shining in her eyes. 

"I don't know, babygirl." 

"Wynonna?" 

"Waves?" 

"I'm really scared." 

"Me too, babygirl. Me too." 

 ****☆☆☆☆☆

"My baby." That was the first thing Michelle Earp said to Wynonna before she engulfed her in a tight embrace. "My baby girl, so grown up." Wynonna couldn't help but relax slightly into the woman's warm arms. Tears pricked at her eyes as she breathed in the smell of her mother. When the two finally stepped away from each other, Wynonna couldn't stop staring at her mother. She looked just like how she remembered her. "How are you?" the woman gasped, out of breath from emotion. 

" _How are you_? Really? That's all you have to say to your daughter who you haven't seen in seventeen years? To be honest, I'm pretty shitty, thanks for asking,  _Mom_ ," Wynonna sneered. 

Michelle Earp was silent for a moment, "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to say."

"No shit." Wynonna grunted, as she moved from the porch of the house into the living room, her mom following. She sat on the couch, rubbing her forehead.

"I-It's just how I remember," the woman sighed, her voice cracking slightly, as she gazed around the room. 

"You can sit down. You don't have to just stand there like you're lost." 

Michelle smiled as she sat, "I see you haven't lost any of your.. Spunk." 

"I'm surprised you remember. I was under the impression that you were very good at moving on." 

"Wynonna.." 

"Not a single call. For seventeen years. Not a birthday card. An email. A fucking postcard." 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was young, and foolish." 

"So you left your three daughters with their abusive, alcoholic father." 

"He never hurt you." 

"No, he never hurt  _me._ Or Willa. But he sure as hell hurt Waverly." 

The woman tensed at the name of the youngest Earp, "She didn't belong." 

"Bullshit! That's not how it works! You made her feel useless, and shitty, and like a stranger in her own family!" Wynonna yelled, standing up. 

"I tried to get Ward to warm up to her, but he wouldn't. He was stubborn!" 

"And you LEFT! I was too young and stupid to do anything. He would hit her just hard enough to make it hurt, but not hard enough to leave noticeable marks. Or he would hit her where no one would look. And I couldn't do anything because I was a CHILD, and I was missing my mother!"

"I'm sorry," Michelle murmured. 

"Well fucking too little too late." 

"Where is she? Where is Waverly?" 

Wynonna was about to respond, when Nicole came into the room, "Wynonna, is everything-" she stopped in her tracks when she noticed the unfamiliar woman sitting in the arm chair. Wynonna could see her whole body tense. "Sorry. I'll leave you two to talk." 

"Wait. Who are you?" Michelle said.

Nicole's eyes narrowed, "Why should you care?" 

"Because you're in my daughter's home." 

"Listen, lady, I'm not the stranger here, you are. I happen to live here, for your information." 

"Nicole," Wynonna warned, sensing the anger in the cop's voice. 

"I see," Michelle said, "You're a friend?" 

Nicole opened her mouth to respond, but Wynonna cut in, "This is Nicole. She's Waverly's girlfriend." 

Michelle sat up straight, her body tensing, her eyes narrowing, "Ah. You two been together long?" 

"About a year, actually," Nicole said, crossing her arms. 

"Nicole, how's Waverly?" Wynonna asked, before her mother could talk. 

"She's been sleeping for a while," Nicole frowned,  "She.. She's not doing super well. Lots of nightmares. Her fever's pretty bad." 

"What's wrong with Waverly?" Michelle demanded. 

"None of your business," Nicole said. 

"I'm her mother!"

"NO, you are not." Nicole growled. " _You_ , are not her mother, in any way." 

"Nicole, I'll handle this," Wynonna grumbled, "Go back to Waves." 

Nicole took one last threatening look at Michelle, before turning, and going up the stairs. "Well. She's pleasant,"  Michelle commented. 

"She's given Waverly more love and affection than you ever did." 

"So. Waverly's gay."

"Are you serious right now? That's what you're focusing on?" 

"I'm just asking! I never thought she was.. One of  _them_." 

"Don't you dare talk about her like that!" Wynonna growled. 

"What's wrong with her? Waverly. Is she sick?" 

Wynonna was quiet for a second, looking down, "Yes." 

"That's too bad. I'm sure she'll get better." 

"Not according to the doctors." 

"What?" 

"Did you know? What she was?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Bullshit. Did you know she wasn't human?" 

Michelle sighed, "Yes. I did."

"You never told her. You never told me. Don't you think she had the right to know?" 

"Is that why she's sick?" 

"In a way, yes. I guess, in a way it's your fault. Most things are, if you really think about it." 

"Wynonna-" 

"She was kidnapped. By some freaks who wanted to study her. They decided she was useless to them, and poisoned her. And now she might never get better." 

"Can I see her?" 

"No way in hell." 

"Please, Wynonna. I know, I'm technically not her mother, but she's still my daughter." 

Wynonna thought about it for a second, conflicted, "Fine. You get five minutes." Wynonna lead her mother up the stairs, to her sister's room. Nicole stood up as she saw the women coming towards the room. "Nicole, it's okay. She has five minutes. She just wants to see her." 

Nicole moved out of the way, allowing the two to enter, but she didn't leave the room. Waverly was asleep, and her forehead was shining with sweat. All the blankets were lying on the floor in a heap. While Waverly was definitely asleep, she wasn't still. She was writhing around, and she moaned softly every so often. 

"How long has she been like this?" Wynonna asked Nicole. 

"About two hours," Nicole said, staring sadly at her girlfriend. 

"Oh, Waverly," Michelle sighed, placing a hand on the girl's damp face. Wynonna could sense Nicole tensing beside her, as Michelle touched her girlfriend. Wynonna automatically put a hand on Nicole's arm, trying to calm her. Nicole looked at Wynonna in surprise, and Wynonna rolled her eyes, immediately pulling her arm away. "What do you know about the poison?" 

"That it's supposed to be incurable. Thats about it. We've been trying to analyze the poison for weeks now." Wynonna said. 

"N-Nicky.." a broken voice murmured, "Nic.." 

"Hey, hey, baby. I'm here. I'm right here," Nicole said coming to her side. Waverly opened her eyes slightly, squinting at her girlfriend. 

"Who.. I heard someone different. Who's here?" Waverly mumbled, confused.

"Waverly. It's me," Michelle said.

Waverly jerked away from the unfamiliar face, trembling in fear, "Wh-Who are you? Get away f-from me." 

"It's me, honey. It's your mom." Michelle put a gentle hand on Waverly's shoulder, and Waverly cried out, curling into a ball.

Michelle started to reach out to her again, but Wynonna stopped her, "Don't," she growled. 

Nicole knelt next to her girlfriend, concern plastered across her face, "It's okay, baby, it's okay, I'm here."

"Nicky," Waverly whimpered, leaning into her girlfriend, tears running down her face. 

"It's alright, it's okay. You're safe." Nicole said, holding her girlfriend close. She turned to Michelle, "Get out. Now," she grunted. 

"I didn't mean to-" the woman started. 

"We're leaving," Wynonna grabbed her mother by the arm, leading her out of the room. "Are you happy now?" she asked once they were back downstairs. 

"What did they do to her?" 

"They tortured her. For days, and days. And then they decided they were done with her, so they poisoned her." Wynonna said, through gritted teeth. 

"I'm sorry." Michelle said. 

"You should be." 

"I know." 

"How long? How long will you be here?"

"I don't know. A week? Longer? I want to get to know you, Wynonna. You and your sister." 

"Well, you're going to have to find a hotel room. You're not staying here."

"Wynonna-" 

"I'm serious. You can visit. But you are not sleeping in our house."

"Alright. Okay. Whatever you want." 

"Get out of my house. Please. I need some time." 

"Okay. Goodbye, honey." Michelle stood, heading towards the door.

"Don't call me that." Wynonna grunted. Michelle, smiled sadly, before turning and leaving the home. Wynonna exhaled deeply sinking down into the couch, holding her head in her hands, slowly starting to cry. She had never felt so alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Feedback is always welcome.


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